Asylum
by AurelieViatcza
Summary: Ichigo was normal till it was discovered that he could see ghosts and had a split personality. Sent away to a sanitarium he struggles to adjust, unsure if he is sane or not until he meets another patient whom he quickly falls for.
1. Prologue

**New story! xD Yep, I had another request to write a Bleach fiction set in modern day with Ichigo and Grimmjow as the main characters. They wanted it to be a dark piece that was a touch reminiscent of a movie she has seen but I have not, so I'll try my best. **

**Also, this should be interesting as the requester wanted for there to be yaoi. I'll be truthful when I say I have barely dipped my toe into the turbulent waters of writing yaoi, but if they like the pilot piece, I will give it my best shot and hope this little story doesn't go down in flames. :P**

**This piece is much shorter than what I would have liked but it is the introductory/prologue bit so forgive me for making it only a few pages worth.**

**Anyways, hope you enjoy!**

**~Aurelia**

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**...**

_Have you ever felt like there was something within you that made you different beyond the scope of normality? Well what is normal anyways? Something we define as a society based off of the benchmark we have to meet if we wish to attain perfection? Che… perfection is bullshit anyways, so don't even bother chasing that dream. It's a stupid concept set by ourselves and our peers to let us be content with never progressing past a certain point; but I'm getting off track here. Where was I…? Ah, yes, dangerous._

_What is it like, to know that you have something less than normal, less than human within your mind or within your soul? Do you try to hide it from everyone till eventually you burst, or do you confide in someone to have them think you are totally fucking nuts? I confided in someone and this is where it landed me. Everywhere there are white sterile hallways, beds bolted to the walls, jailers walking about with painted smiles and loaded syringes and inmates wearing the same drab uniform. We as the inmates trust no one as that is how you stay safe in here, course I'm not actually crazy like the true fuckin' loonies. But let me back up a little and explain it for you._

_I'm a twenty year old guy from a small town called Karakura. My mom died when I was young and I was left in the care of my slightly neurotic father to help watch over my two younger sisters. I went to school, played outside and had fun just like any other normal kid, but the catch was that I could see ghosts. I had never told anyone about it as no one really needed to know. Ghosts would gravitate to me and just follow me around. Yeah, it got annoying at times and unnerving, but I usually managed just fine when it came to ignoring the things. I had started seeing them about the time I turned eleven. Nothing special happened when I turned eleven nor do I think it was the whole puberty kick; I could just see them._

_I was able to manage quite happily despite seeing dead people like Haley Joel and even had some good friends in school. In high school though, I started getting into fights. I was never really one to back down when it came to self defense or the protection of my friends, but I started feeling really angry all the time. I was known in school as that weird kid with the orange hair and the permanent scowl. I kept a pretty tight leash on myself though, not fighting unless the safety of someone I cared about or my own well being was threatened._

_My old man didn't really approve of me getting into fights, but I could tell he was a little proud that his son was not taking shit from jerks or bullies. Hell, he and I fought all the time in a goofy, rough housing sort of way and I guess you could say he taught me to have a backbone; him and my tomboy friend Tatsuki. She was always pretty manly for a girl and was never one to back down from a fight either. Despite our opposing strong wills, we got along quite well ever since we were little. I always felt I could trust her with just about anything, but now I know that was an idiotic mistake._

_For months I had been feeling like there was always something lurking in the dark, waiting to jump out and scare me, but I never saw anything. My dreams were fevered and senseless with an echoing, lilting laughter that tore at my sanity every night. I could feel a lingering presence in my head that wore on me and creeped me out when I woke in the mornings. Each passing day it grew incrementally worse, but I didn't notice too much till it was bad enough to affect my waking life._

_One morning, after a particularly bad dream, I had stumbled into my bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Glancing into my small medicine cabinet mirror, I saw a face that was mine, yet not. My skin was snowy white as was my vibrant orange hair -which is naturally orange, thank you very much. My face had been split by a psychotic, toothy grin and a blue tongue poked from the corner of my mouth. What really drew my horror were my eyes. Instead of chocolate irises framed by white, my eyes were a fiery golden swirl in a sea of black._

_I won't lie to you; I had screamed like a little girl and stumbled backwards to land ass first into my laundry hamper. Mind you, I'm not a small fellow standing at about five feet and eleven inches and weighing about a hundred forty seven pounds. Getting my ass out of that damn whicker hamper was a chore. I collected myself though and peeked back into the mirror to see only my normal reflection. I got my shit together and went to school like nothing had happened. The whole day, I was jumpy as hell, afraid to look into anything reflective lest I squeal again, this time in front of the rabid and ruthless mass known as high schoolers._

_By the end of my junior year, I was pretty whacked. I had started talking that strange reflection, but what was really frightening was that it talked back. I held pertinent conversations with it and learned that it preferred to be called Shiro versus "it" or "thing", as I refused to acknowledge that he was really just me._

_Through high school, I had discovered that Shiro was violent, capricious, arrogant and sadistically brutal. Fights at school were a problem then more than ever as his lilting and watery voice in my head egged me on. He would whisper to me and push me to the brink in a fight, making me come close to seriously injuring some guys._

_I'll never forget the first time I almost killed a person. Some guys had cornered a friend of mine, a real mousy gal who had a fantastic figure but no knack for self defense. Orihime had always been a good friend to Tatsuki and she was a friend of mine so when it came down to it, I was naturally protective over her like I would be for any friend. The fact that I have a bit of a chivalry complex and that she was a woman who had a hard time standing up for herself only made my protective streak worse._

_They had got her alone behind the athletic sheds at school and thought they would take advantage of her. That was plenty enough to get my rage going, but Shiro wasn't satisfied with the fight. He wanted more blood and I think he enjoyed pushing me to the edge of my humanity. I unhinged and nearly beat all three guys into a bloody smear in the dirt. Even Orihime was scared of me after that, despite the fact that I had been protecting her. I would give you more details, but unfortunately, I don't remember a whole lot beyond the feel of my fists connecting with solid flesh, the rush of blood in my ears and the insane chattering of Shiro in my head._

_Safe to say it was all downhill from there. I grew afraid for those I was close to with each and every fight that I lost control in. I tried to logically explain it as blackout rage, but that didn't explain the twisted version of me inside my head. I distanced myself from my family and my friends, praying to anything that would listen that I didn't snap and hurt them too._

_When graduation rolled around I had managed to save up enough money from the odd jobs I did to get a crappy little apartment in town and left without giving anyone my new address and without any goodbyes. It was better that way, or so I had convinced myself. Who knows how things would have turned out if I had stayed; though sometimes I shudder and think that the worst could have happened._

_I was nervous about being so close in proximity to a bunch of strangers but I couldn't stand the fearful looks from my two baby sisters any more. They too had grown afraid of their big brother even though I had never laid a finger on them or even truly spoke at them in anger. They could just sense the darkness inside me and it frightened them. Hell, it frightens me even now, though Shiro and I have come to terms and are at an uneasy truce. Common goals and interests will do that. But anyways…_

_I got a crappy job to go with my crappy apartment and I lived alone for two years. Day in and day out, I woke, dressed, worked, came home, showered and then slept; all amidst arguing with Shiro of course. It was a constant battle for dominance with him. I never went out, never ate out or did anything that a guy my age might do. I didn't get a girlfriend or anything as I was too afraid that I might lose control to that white demon within me and hurt them._

_Those two years of my life were like hell, but they were my hell and I was in some manner of control. There was no relief though, from that monster inside me that I knew was actually a dark part of me. Then it happened. All the stress of being estranged from everything I knew, from being subjected to my crappy job and from holding the flood of Shiro's maniacal rage back finally broke me down. I had been walking home from work pretty late one night when a couple thugs thought I'd be an easy mark to rob._

_I remembered the excitement in my gut as one pulled a knife on me while the other shoved me hard up against a wall. Shiro screamed for me to let loose of my strangled hold on him and I could feel myself slipping into a fevered madness. I remember laughing as they threatened me and I remember my laughter building up into that psychotic giggling peal that I knew so well as Shiro's laugh. That should have been my wake up call, my warning. That I was wanting to just roll the dice and see if I lived or died, if they lived or died should have sobered me up but instead it kind of turned me on. It was like a switch had been flipped inside me._

_Next thing I knew, their blood was all over my hands and my blood all over theirs. I had been overjoyed by every second that my life was in jeopardy and I knew that there was no going back. I finally came to the realization that I liked violence, and here's a shocker: I was good at it. Someone was going to die that night, one way or another. I had beaten them both out of their fucking senses and was on the verge of taking their lives with Shiro's hands… with my hands. I could hardly tell who was in control; and then it happened._

_Tatsuki came round the corner and saw me standing over them, bloodied and grinning like a fucked up Cheshire cat. Her surprise and ultimately her horror had sent me crashing back to reality like a star falling to Earth. I had been utterly horrified by what I had done and that someone from the life I thought I had been protecting had found me in the grip of that violent, gleeful madness._

_I fell to my knees on the hard asphalt, my fists numb and my arms tingling. The two thugs scrambled out of there with their tails between their legs. I never knew what happened to them after that. Tatsuki had insisted on calling 911, but I refused and staggered my way home with her trailing me. She was like some angry version of a lost puppy that would not leave but I couldn't stay out on the streets and she wasn't leaving, so to my place we went. We got into my apartment and I stripped out of my blood stained t-shirt the instant I got through the door. Tossing it directly into the trash in the kitchen, my fatigue hit me all at once and I collapsed onto my kitchen floor. I was empty. I knew I should have been scared, angry, something, but I wasn't. I didn't have anything left in me because Shiro had taken it all. All it took was one question from my childhood friend for the dam to the river of emotions, thoughts and fears to break completely._

_"Fuck! What's going on with you!" She had asked me as she rushed to tend to my scrapes, cuts and bruises while I sat in heap, half conscious on the floor._

_That was all it took to have me spilling my guts about my inner me. I told her everything from the very beginning, even being able to see ghosts. She sat there and listened without saying a thing, her eyes wide and her face skeptical. I must have sounded like a delusional schizophrenic nut job; who knows, maybe I am? She took it in stride though and took care of me while I talked for hours and hours about it all. She bandaged me up, tucked me into bed, and I passed out. She must have left my apartment and locked the door behind her because I awoke to my panicked father banging on my door and the knob rattling as he tried to get in. I thought I may have killed someone after all and that the cops were there for me._

_I literally crawled my ass out of bed still wearing my boxers and bloodstained jeans from the day before, all bandaged up with a swollen lip and a black eye. In retrospect, that may not have been the best way to answer the door. Undoing the deadbolt, I yanked the door open to see my father accompanied by two men. The two men were smiling pleasantly, but their eyes were dead. My father was pale as a sheet and horrified by my appearance._

_Shiro had laughed at my father's expression and due to my still being half asleep and dead tired, I had told him to shut the fuck up and to leave me alone… out loud. Of course no one in front of me at that moment had spoken and since I had been talking to Shiro, I wasn't really looking at anyone in particular, just the wall. It was unnerving for my poor father._

_My father freaked of course and told me everything that Tatsuki had told him which I had consequently told her. He had asked me to come in for a "check up" to just make sure that I was ok. I was tired, worn down and could hardly keep up the façade known as normal, so when Shiro cackled in my head I couldn't stop myself from shouting back to him._

_"Bahahahaha! They're gonna take ya to a mental shack, King! Look at 'em! They totally think yer fuckin' outta yer head!" _

_"I said shut the fuck up you psycho little bastard!" And punched myself in the face. Now, trying to K.O yourself while yelling nonsense is pretty damaging to your credibility when you're trying to convince someone you're not absolutely out of your gourd._

_Yeah, they hauled me away kicking and screaming. It was like some scene from a bad Hollywood film only ten times worse. Who knows, maybe I am crazy, maybe Tatsuki was right… but I can think and conduct myself with complete clarity and I can display perfect awareness of my surroundings. The doctors were and still are totally baffled by me, though they still name off a list of conditions and problems, thinking they have me nailed down. They're all quacks really. So here I am._

_My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I am a mental patient in Cliff Point Sanitarium and I have an inverted version of myself living in my head who wants nothing more than to fight everything and everyone. Welcome to my asylum._

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**...**

**Well, there it is. I am already beginning to get into the piece and have the next couple chapters fleshed out with little detail, so we'll see. I hope it was an intriguing read and that I did ok on it.**

**~Aurelia **


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello there! **

**So, the requester asked for one more chapter to see if they really, really like enough for me to write it all the way through to the finish. So here is a slightly longer chapter. I grew quite inspired with it and whipped it out in little to not time at all and after reviewing and revising it, I hope I managed to fix most of the little slip ups.**

**Hope it's a good read and that you all enjoy! ^_^**

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**...**

_ This has got to be hell. They all look at me with patronizing smiles, with expressions like they're happy to be here. All the while they're telling me that I am holding myself back because I won't admit I have a problem!_

Yeah, Ichigo had a problem. He was locked up in here. Two weeks of trying his best to convince them that it was all a misunderstanding and having doctors and his father not believe him, was what **really** was going to drive him insane. Shiro gave a maddening giggle as Ichigo scowled at the bespectacled doctor sitting in the chair in front of him.

"_Oi King! Maybe ya should tell 'im 'bout that pissed off ghost in the west wing. I'm sure he'd love ta hear 'bout tha'!" _Ichigo ground his teeth as he desperately tried to drown out the cackling, inverted psychopath while he watched the shrink scribble down notes. Occasionally the doctor would look over his glasses at Ichigo with a critical expression, his honey gold eyes probing and searching for anything that might be a weakness or fault. Ichigo hated the doctor with a fiery passion.

_Yeah? You think so? Maybe you should shut the fuck up. _Ichigo retorted to Shiro.

During his time in Cliff Point Sanitarium, Ichigo had mastered conversing with Shiro by simply using his thoughts. He was pretty good now at not voicing his conversations with the pale brute. Again, talking to one's self was damaging to the image of sanity that Ichigo was desperately trying to build up. Sitting in the doctor's small, cozy office, Ichigo sighed as he gave the doctor an aggravated look.

"Can I go now Doc? I'm sick of trying to convince you of something that you obviously ain't gonna listen to, aaaand there's jello out there." Ichigo was done with being psychoanalyzed by some self worshipping, pink haired douche when he could be finding some small solace in cafeteria food.

In truth, he was never a big fan of sweets really, but it made him feel like a normal guy to sit in a cafeteria eating jello. At least until one of the other patients screamed and threw their food while being chased by orderlies. The main offender was a shiny headed bald guy who was convinced that aliens where probing him. If only Ichigo could somehow make the dude understand that it was the orderlies, not aliens.

"Please." The doctor said while smiling with false pleasantry. "Call me Dr. Granz. Now I do listen to you, Ichigo but I want to listen to **everything **you have to say and that includes the other part of you." Dr. Granz said with a sardonic sweetness.

The doctor's cruel, calculating golden eyes made Ichigo feel uncomfortable as he sat in his chair, doing his best to not look away. If this was going to be a dominance stare down, Ichigo wasn't going to be so quick to give in. He was a lot of things, but a little bitch wasn't one of them.

"I told you, there's only one of me in here so I hate to let you down, **Doc**… but you're only gonna talk to one of me." The doctor sighed made a little note on his clip board without breaking Ichigo's stare.

"Ichigo, why are you so hostile? You know we are all here for you, to help you. If you won't let me talk to your other self, then tell me about the ghosts. What kinds of ghosts do you see?" Dr. Granz waited patiently while Ichigo gave him a curled lip and a "what the fuck?" kind of look.

"I. Don't. See. Ghosts." He told the pink haired doctor simply, emphasizing each word. His voice held an edge and he was feeling himself reach the end of his rope. The doctor tsked and finally looked away to write down more detailed notes.

"Then why did you tell your friend Tatsuki that you could?" He asked Ichigo sweetly while he used a long and slender finger to push his glasses back up the bridge of his sharp nose. He gave a vain little flip of his hair that just annoyed Ichigo further. He hated everything there was when it came to this guy.

"I wasn't feeling too good at time. Kinda had my head knocked around pretty hard by some street thugs." Ichigo snapped at the doctor. He would kick Tatsuki's ass if he ever got out of here. No, if he ever got out of here, he would fall of the face of the earth and live quietly on his own. It would be pretty nice on his own with no one to bother him. Maybe a place farther out in the country. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he turned his focus back on the doctor whilst still keeping Shiro in constant check.

"According to your friend's statement, you were coherent and had been assaulting the two gentlemen when she came upon you. Or is there more to the story, Ichigo?" Ichigo hated the doctor's smooth voice. It was soft and a shade off sleazy and it made Ichigo's skin crawl.

"Yeah there's more to the story Doc; I confess... I was on drugs." Ichigo's voice was heavily laced with sarcasm and venom. He propped his right leg up on tip toe and began bouncing it up and down rapidly in an effort to relieve physical tension without hitting anything. Dr. Granz raised a pink brow and made another note on his clipboard as he shook his head like he was disappointed. Ichigo couldn't give a fuck if the doctor was disappointed or not.

"I'm only trying to help you. Lying about your condition and trying to diffuse the situation with sarcasm will get you nowhere." The doctor's tone turned icy and the smile on his face gave Ichigo chills. He suddenly found that he did not like the direction this was heading. The doctor leaned forward and spoke again in his vicious yet still saccharine manner. Shiro gave a warning growl in his head to intimate that he didn't like where this seemed to be heading either.

"You think you're normal, but you're not. There is something horribly wrong with you and you'll never get out of here unless I fix you." Ichigo shudder at how the doctor had uttered those last few words and the obvious connotation they held. He was feeling like a trapped animal. He wanted a way out and now. The doctor gave Ichigo a toothy grin as he let his honey eyes rove up and down Ichigo's lithe and subtly toned form.

_"King, I dun like how this bitch is lookin' at us." _Ichigo internally agreed with his twisted inner self as he bounced his leg even faster. He could feel bile rising in his throat as he tried to push himself farther back into his chair as the doctor leaned in closer.

"But, you have to let me help you in… anyway I can." Suddenly, Ichigo snapped. Shiro didn't even need to help him on this one. Ichigo felt like he needed a shower just talking to the creepy fuck of a doctor and he sure as hell wasn't going to let the doc do anything to "help" him… ever.

Uncoiling from his chair and striking like an angry viper, Ichigo let loose with a devastating blow that connected hard with Dr. Granz's chin. The pink haired creep was sent flying backwards over his chair and Ichigo felt a moment of empowering satisfaction; until the sound of the doctor crashing into a bookcase drew the attention of the orderlies.

Instantly Ichigo found himself being held down. He knew the more he struggled, the worse off he would be but every instinct in his body screamed for him to fight back and Shiro added to that screaming. He wanted to fight and he wanted blood. Ichigo felt himself being torn in half as he tried to suppress Shiro while he fought wildly against the five orderlies that were on him.

"Take him to Iso!" Dr. Granz yelled hoarsely over Ichigo's angered hollers. Ichigo struggled even more. He wasn't thinking logically. He didn't want to go to that white, sterile, padded room with the harsh lights and the straight jacket that inevitably went with it. Isolation was the worst thing they could make him endure.

He was practicing futility at its best. They suited him up in a jacket and threw him in the room and slammed the door to leave his ears ringing as he tried his best to calm down. Shiro raged and raged within him. His inverted twin hated this room just as much as he did and on several occasions, he had worn Ichigo down enough to take control. He would rabidly throw himself about the room for hours till Ichigo could finally wrest control back from him and just pass out or until they sedated him. When he woke he was sore as hell and numb like a zombie. It was worse when they drugged him up.

Feeling himself on the verge of panic, Ichigo tried something new to curb Shiro's animalistic fury. Curled into a ball in the center of the blindingly white room, Ichigo tried to talk Shiro out of his berserk-like state.

_Shiro please, please, please listen to me! You've gotta calm down! I'm never going to get out of here if you go off like this! _Ichigo pleaded over and again, but the only response he got was the overwhelming desire for violence from Shiro.

Ichigo could feel hot, salty tears burn tracks down his face. He was all alone in this hell with no one on his side. Even Shiro was an enemy that Ichigo could never have a moment away from. He was there ever y moment of every day, sleeping or awake.

Rocking back and forth, the silent tears continued to flow relentlessly as he fought his hardest to keep Shiro from taking him over. What had he done in this life or in a life past to ever deserve this? He could feel Shiro slowly winning control over Ichigo's weakening resolve as his arms twitched against their restraints. Slowly, he was swallowed whole by the grinning madness that was himself.

**...**

**…**

_Yup. My life sucks. Why should I have to endure this crap? My shrink is a perv, the director whom I've met only once is like Dr. Frankenstein and here I am stuck in this rat trap. I haven't made any friends among the other patients despite my fairly easygoing nature. When it comes to that pink haired fucker, I would like a friend to watch my back but finding someone capable of handling that task in here is going to be pretty fruitless. It seems everyone in here but me have all flown over the cuckoo's nest._

_ Though I guess I am just as loopy as the rest of the drooling crazies in here. Here I am sitting inside my own head, while my evil twin runs amok in my body. Course I'll never be as bad as that weirdo with the bob who sits and talks to his reflection, telling it how fucking gorgeous it is. _

_I hardly have the strength to hold Shiro back anymore and it has only been two weeks. What's the point? If I am going to be stuck in here then why should I even try? Eventually they'll come in and sedate my body and Shiro will be forced back into the dark recesses of my head and I'll regain control for a while._

_ I'm stuck in a prison within a prison. Being held in this place and trapped inside my own head with no way out drives a cold, heavy feeling of hopelessness deep into me. I can see out my own eyes, hear my screams, smell my own sweat as I thrash about, but I am not in charge anymore; I'm just along for the ride. This part isn't too bad though. When I give in to Shiro, I can just huddle in the dark and float within nothingness. It is when I can control my own actions again that my personal hell resumes and the fight to keep Shiro from swallowing me whole starts all over again. I want to be free from the shackles of reality, but in this day and age they really don't lobotomize people so I guess I'll settle for punching pervs and eating jello._

**…**

**…**

When Ichigo finally emerged from Isolation, he was deposited into the common room where an assortment of nut jobs congregated and fought over plastic spoons and other trivial things. He had been stuck in the white room for almost an entire day. Now it was morning. He had refused to eat as the sedatives they had given Shiro made him feel wretchedly sick.

Sorely shambling over to a window, he sat and watched the rain outside splatter against the panes of glass. Shiro was completely knocked out still, so Ichigo took this rare chance of stillness and calm within his head to try and relax. Outside the window was a large garden that was styled after a traditional Victorian English garden. It was pretty, he guessed. He noted the nearly fifteen foot tall, smooth stone wall around the garden. There were a couple spots where he could have climbed a tree to aid him over the wall.

He knew that patients with good behavior were able to get out there on occasion. He wondered if he might be able to make it out there. With Dr. Granz as his shrink though, he doubted he'd be able to keep himself from punching the prick to keep up good behavior. Absently rolling his shoulders, his head was filled with Shiro's groan as he finally woke.

"_Uuuuuuugh… King, if ya fuckin' 'elped me out instead 'o hidin' in yer own skull we might 'ave a chance at butsin' outta 'ere." _He grumbled in his echoing tones. Ichigo ignored the monster in his head and continued gazing outside. He'd try it. He would try to climb over that wall. He had to get out or he really was going to lose his mind to Shiro who seemed to be growing stronger by the day.

**…**

**…**

Days and days went by and Ichigo found that his resolve to not start fights was not as strong as he had hoped for. Days blurred into weeks and the weeks into months. Throughout that time he had been thrown into Isolation so many times he had lost count. It happened the same every time; he would snap or Shiro would push him and they would toss him into the white room. He'd lose ground to the cackling, pale fiend inside to be drugged up and then wake in small bed with his arms and legs restrained only to then be dumped back out into the collective of patients.

He never got any closer to his goal of freedom or to that garden wall. In the time he had been here his appetite had grown to be rather pitiful. His lithe form was gaunt and the uniform that fit properly when he first arrived was now baggy and hung from his body. Ichigo had quit trying. He no longer talked during sessions with Dr. Granz but still threw punches when the doctor came to close for comfort. He became withdrawn and sullen, always sitting in a chair and staring out at the garden wall that he would never reach. He was caged within himself. They had broke him and he knew; and he didn't care.

His father came to visit him every week but Ichigo no longer tried to convince his father to get him out. Ichigo didn't even speak to his father anymore when he visited; he didn't speak to anyone. He could see the sadness in his father's eyes, but Ichigo couldn't bring himself to give a shit. His father had been the one to throw him in this hell hole in the first place. His father would tell him of his sisters and how they were doing in school and how proud Ichigo should be. Ichigo would have been proud, but he was empty.

He had always been a resilient person, never giving in no matter how the odds were stacked against him. He had always found some reason to keep fighting, to keep trying but everything had been taken from him. Things were different now that he had no strength, no will and no pride. Ichigo was a shell of the person he used to be and he knew it. He guessed it wouldn't be long before he became just as mindless and absent as the rest of the patients. When that happened Ichigo would no longer even try to hold his inner demon at bay and Shiro would simply run the show.

If only they knew. If only those doctors and all the people who thought he was crazy knew what it was like to have another person living in your head. They would understand then that he wasn't crazy. They would realize how hard he had fought and maybe even admire him for how long he had lasted.

No. When Shiro took over they would think that it was just another nuance of his insanity. Then Ichigo would disappear forever along with the son, the big brother, the friend and the protector he had once been.

The saddest part about that was that nobody would even realize that he had died and a monster had taken his place like some insidious doppelganger.

Sitting in his usual chair by the window that overlooked the garden, Ichigo mindlessly kept Shiro under his thumb as the other patients went about their usual routines of screaming and other nonsense. Ichigo hardly ever paid any mind to the other patients any more, though he did notice when a new one arrived.

Recently there was a hulking, huge new guy with odd spiky black hair that was violent and loved fighting just as much as Shiro did. Yet, when it came to the other patient's though, Ichigo found they all did the same things; they talked to themselves, twitched nervously, gibbered nonsense, treasured worthless objects and fought over them. Ichigo had enough of a freak show going on in his own head to keep him plenty busy. Besides, watching them only reminded him of where he was.

Ichigo found he preferred being numb to everything. There was a slight bliss to not giving a shit anymore and he would take all the small comforts he could get in this place. He had a session later today with Dr. Granz and he just knew Shiro was going to break free and land him back in the white room. That room alone was going to be instrumental in his descent into madness.

Ichigo distantly registered the commotion going on in the room behind him and his chair, but he didn't care. The alien freak was probably at it again, fighting off orderlies who were trying to probe him and examine his brain to take information back to their home planet. Any other time Ichigo would have been amused by the bald guy, but now nothing amused him.

Amid the sounds of the scuffle going on, a deep baritone shout reached Ichigo's ears and he found himself involuntarily perking up and paying attention to hear more of the resonate, bold sounding voice. From what he could tell, it seemed the new guy was stirring things up again and it sounded as though it was getting pretty violent. Dismissing the whole thing, he returned his attention back to keeping a now thoroughly excited Shiro at bay while he stared out his window. He wanted to avoid that white room at all costs. In there, there was nothing but himself and his psychotic inner twin and it was maddening.

It wasn't until somebody crashed into the back of his chair that Ichigo found himself ripped from his absent minded reverie. He was sent sprawling forward onto the tiled floor and he could feel Shiro clawing at the mental walls he had constructed around him. Ichigo jumped up as Shiro jerked like a rabid dog on the end of his leash in his head as he spun around to see what was going on. His eyes widened a little when he saw the full on brawl going on between several patients.

The new guy was tearing shit up as was the shiny headed bald guy who was beating the living hell out of the narcissist dude. There were a handful of others that joined in on the fight but Ichigo found himself captivated by one person in particular.

Brilliant blue hair flashed in the crowd of fighting nut job inmates. The guy was tall, tanned and built like a Greek statue with rippling muscles. He had attractive chiseled features and vivid blue eyes that Ichigo could easily make out from across the room. He absently wondered as he stood watching, if the dude's hair color was natural like his was. Watching the guy, Ichigo saw him fight with a fierce glee and brutality. His eyes were awake, alert and sharp like a predator's while his movements were fluid, quick and controlled. Ichigo was captivated with how agile and strong the man was and found himself admiring his feisty nature.

For the first time in a long time, Ichigo felt himself wake up and want to be himself again. Something in the bluenette's nature brought him back to life and resuscitated his desire for freedom. He craved life on the outside with a sudden and furious vengeance.

Watching as orderlies struggled in vain to contain the massive fray of insanity, he didn't notice the hulking new guy with spiky hair dispatch of the patient he had been fighting to then turn on him. Ichigo suddenly found himself soaring through the air to crash into a weak little card table. With a smirk, he relinquished his control over to Shiro willingly for the first time in his life; and it felt good.

Instead of sitting back and watching things from within his mind like he normally did, he worked with Shiro to fight the monster of a brute that was the new guy. A wicked giggling laugh bubbled from his lips and he truly enjoyed it. It was the first feeling of mirth he had felt in months. Cocking his fist back, he and Shiro threw a punch together at the new guy and sent him staggering back a couple steps.

Ichigo rejoiced in the dull pain that shot up his arm as he dodged another blow from the spiky haired guy. He felt so fucking alive! Up close Ichigo could see the man was an impressive roadmap of scars with beady black eyes and "not all there" grin. It seemed the guy lived for fighting.

Losing himself within the fight Ichigo never noticed when an orderly snuck up behind him and hit him with a sedative loaded syringe. He felt himself go numb instantly as Shiro raucously screamed in defiance in his head as the drugs entered their system. He may have screamed in that bestial manner out loud as well, but he was too drugged up and gone at that point to tell.

Dropping like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Ichigo watched in his darkening vision as a crowd of orderlies and a couple doctors finally subdued the new guy with sedatives. Searching the crowd, Ichigo's last sight was of the blued haired man being pinned down on the floor by orderlies. Watching, he saw how the bluenette grinned rebelliously as one straddled him and injected him with the horrible sleep inducing drug. He then saw no more as he was taken by force into a crushing oblivion.

**…**

**…**

_**Ten minutes previously…**_

Sighing heavily, Grimmjow walked into the common room. He usually hung out in his own room as it kept him out of trouble and he had a plan in the works that he couldn't let his love of fighting get in the way of. Good behavior got a guy far in this place and he planned on utilizing it as best he could to get himself to fuck out of there. The better you behaved, the more they trusted you and the more they trusted you, the easier it was to get close to a person and light finger some keys.

He would have just stayed in his room and beat himself at poker over and over, but **he** had caught his interest again. The guy with the orange hair was brought stumbling down the hall from Iso and passed Grimmjow's room to be led to the common room. Ever since the first time he had seen the wiry kid with orange hair, he had been intrigued by him. Grimmjow had watched from afar as the guy had slowly gone from defiant, strong and lively to just plain dead. It was like the fiery red head had given up.

Curious, Grimmjow silently padded from his room to tread down the hall with silent steps into the common room. Scanning the room he saw the usual suspects and a new guy that was eyeing everyone with a hungry look of violence in his face. Finally, Grimmjow spotted the ginger sitting in a chair by a window staring out at the south garden. There were good climbing trees out there and Grimmjow wondered if the ginger was contemplating on using them to climb the wall to escape. Judging by his defeated appearance he highly doubted it.

Grimmjow could recall when the red head had been so eager to fight back against the doctors and orderlies, but now it seemed he was either devoid of anything and everything sitting in the common room or in Iso screaming his head off after fucking someone up. It was like he was two people. Grimmjow wondered if the guy was really one of the nut cases that belonged here or not. He had seemed so… together and solid when he first showed up. Grimmjow guessed this place could do that to a person though; make them lose their will to fight. He would never give that up.

Moving across the room to get a better view of the ginger, Grimmjow noted his appearance. He had grown thin and his clothes hung from bony angles. It was a shame, Grimmjow thought; a shame that they had broken him as he had been a touch attracted to the tough little red head. Sudden movement caught Grimmjow's eye and he tensed up as he readied for anything like a cat on the prowl. Looking to where the new guy was, he saw that one self entitled dude with the long black hair walk up and tell the new guy to move out of his way.

Grimmjow felt excitement brew in his gut as the new guy grinned savagely and began beating the fuck out of the long haired dude with the superiority complex. A laugh slipped from Grimmjow's throat as he watched pandemonium break out among the other patients in a matter of seconds. Throwing self restraint to the wind, Grimmjow jumped into the fight. Finding that one whiney idiot called Luppi that drove him nuts, he let go of his cares as he let himself pound his fist into Luppi's face while the arrogant, annoying bitch tried to hit him back. It was good fun.

He knocked his first victim out in seconds and was about to move onto the next when he felt a blow land heavily onto his back. Wincing, he shouted out in anger and turned on the random patient that had attacked him. Laughing loudly with his lust for fighting rushing through him, Grimmjow violently turned on the new victim.

Orderlies and doctors rushed into the mayhem and attempted to restore order with syringes. Grimmjow knew he was going to get drugged just because of his track record for fighting even if he stopped now. So, not giving a fuck, Grimmjow kept on striking blow after blow and fighting for the hell of it. So good behavior wasn't his forte...

Grimmjow grew distracted when he noticed the ginger standing at the edge of the massive clash of patents, orderlies and doctors watching him with intent and livened eyes. Grimmjow felt his wolfish grin widen at the sight of the ginger looking the most alive he had looked in a while now.

Dispatching of the opponent in front of him with one severe jab to the gut, Grimmjow moved on to the next one just in time to see the rekindled red head fly through the air. The new guy had tossed the kid like gambler's dice. Something tugged within Grimmjow and he felt the sudden urge to go protect the ginger, but it would have been an impossible task to navigate the sea of wrestling inmates and jailers.

Watching as he got up, he was pleasantly surprised to see the red head grinning wickedly as he launched himself at the new guy whilst laughing. The laugh was wild, free and a little less than sane but Grimmjow could see the fire and intelligence back in the ginger's face and it pleased him.

Turning back to his own fight, Grimmjow took a blow to his toned abdomen and a whoosh of air left him as he coughed lightly and returned the blow with three times the force, knocking out the patient he was fighting completely before he was tackled by a few orderlies.

He went down to the cold tiled floor hard, struggling as his arms and legs were quickly pinned. One thing was sure, they didn't fuck around when trying to subdue him; they knew better. One of the orderlies jumped on his stomach and straddled him to administer the shot. The orderly was the perpetually grinning, silver haired guy that seemed to have it out for Grimmjow.

Spitting a curse, Grimmjow kept his angry grin on his face even as the needle stabbed into his flesh and he was dragged down into utter darkness.

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**Ta-da! I have to admit I owe a major chunk of my inspiration for this whole story to soundtrack pieces from Silent Hill... I guess nothing says crazy and gritty like Silent Hill. Also, I hope my skipping around isn't too confusing. It seems like this chapter was awfully fast paced, but it was primarily background info. The heart of the story begins now. :P**

**Hopefully, I'll get the ok to go ahead with it and I'll write more!**

**~Aurelia**


	3. Chapter 2

**So it took a while, but the requester got back to me yesterday about wanting me to finish this story so here we are. Apologies about the wait and for the shorter chapter but I hope it is sufficiently entertaining. I hope to be quicker with my updates, but I find myself wrapped up in daily affairs what with job interviews and me moving into a new house here soon.**

**Anyways... enjoy the chapter, and please remember to feed the writer and let me know what you think in a review. ^_^ I love to hear the thoughts and ideas of readers.**

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Moaning groggily, Ichigo found himself waking to blearily stare at a darkened ceiling. Sighing heavily, he didn't have to attempt to move to know that his limbs were restrained as he could tell by the dull ache in his muscles from not being able to shift his position. Blinking furiously, he lifted his head and tried to look about the room as best he could.

It was night and they had left him in one of the treatment rooms restrained to a bed for the night. At least he didn't have to go into the white room. Shiro hummed in a wordless agreement. There precious few things that the two shared in common and their hatred of the white room was one of them.

It was then Ichigo registered that he heard another person breathing. Panicked that it might be Dr. Granz come to defile him hiding somewhere in the room, Ichigo whipped his head up and scoured to room to find the noise coming from the bed four feet away next to his. For a moment his heart stalled.

Warm chocolate eyes met with piercing, icy blue and Ichigo felt his breath catch in his throat as he became spell bound by the stare. It was the bluenette from the fight in the common room earlier. The man's mouth moved, but Ichigo was so lost in the man's eyes that he didn't hear a single word.

"Uh… what?" Ichigo asked dumbly. The blue haired man smiled big and feral. Ichigo felt his insides writhe as a feeling washed over him that he had never felt before.

His head felt light and he could feel a flush of adrenaline course through his veins like liquid fire to settle into a burn in his chest. The man was even more stunning up close. Dismissing his strange feelings as a residual side effect from the sedatives, Shiro scoffed in disagreement.

_"Che… yeah right, King."_ Ichigo did his best to ignore Shiro and listen to what the bluenette was saying.

"I said, the fuck you starin' at ginger?" There was a slight bite to the man's voice, but Ichigo could tell he was friendly enough beyond his gruff manners.

Realizing he had been staring, Ichigo blushed furiously and turned his head to look back up at the ceiling. He found he was incredibly grateful that it was dark in there so that the man couldn't see his blushes. Trying to take in his surroundings without looking at the blue haired man, Ichigo found that they were the only ones in the room. Feeling relieved and anxious all at the same time, Ichigo tried to play it cool.

"Just trying to figure out how long you've been in here based on how well your hair dye is holding up." Ichigo was inwardly surprised at how cool and nonchalant he sounded. The bluenette snorted and an airy chuckle slipped from his throat to end in a rumbling laugh. Chills ran up and down Ichigo's spine and he realized that the man's smile and laugh had a nearly physical effect on him.

"It's natural asshole. And you're one to talk with bright ass ginger-orange hair." The man said without true venom. Ichigo laughed in turn as he retorted.

"Mine is natural and a little more believable than vibrant blue, douche bag." Ichigo couldn't help the mirth that crept into his voice as they lobbed harmless insults back and forth.

Afterwards an uneasy silence fell between them. Ichigo didn't know what to say. He was in a mental ward, strapped to a bed talking to another patient about their hair colors as though they weren't locked up in a loony bin.

Trying to ascertain if he truly was awake or if this was some horribly real dream conjured up by mind numbing drugs, Ichigo stared up at the ceiling intently and listened to the even breathing of the man next to him. He felt his pulse quicken at the thought of the man next to him. His insides flipped and his blood writhed in his veins with something intangible. It was uncomfortably exciting, and Ichigo liked it.

"Sooooo…" The bluenette rumbled out in his velvet smooth voice. "I saw you fighting that beast of a new guy earlier; you looked like you were having fun." Ichigo laid there silently as he recalled his scrap with the heavily muscled and thoroughly scarred man.

"Yeah, I guess I was." He said with a noncommittal grunt. It had been the first time he truly let Shiro take the reins and he had actually enjoyed it. When Shiro was in control and Ichigo joined in on the joy ride, he found the experience to be rather freeing.

_"See King, I 'ent all that bad now am I?" _Shiro whispered from within his mind. Ichigo wouldn't deign to respond and simply ignored his inner self to continue talking to the intriguing man next to him.

"You looked like you were having fun too." The bluenette chuckled deeply at Ichigo's remark. Sneaking a glance over at him, Ichigo saw the blue eyed man gazing upwards with a look of content euphoria on his face. Ichigo found it such a strange look for one to have given their circumstances.

"I couldn't waste a good fight like that one, even if it ruined my good behavior streak." Ichigo's ears perked at the man's mention of good behavior. Had he been trying the same thing Ichigo had? Was escape on his mind too? The blue haired man turned to look at him with a crooked smirk that sent Ichigo reeling. He had never had someone make him feel so jumpy and strangely giddy at the same time.

"You seem a little tense ginger. I won't bite, besides, couldn't reach you even if I wanted to." The blue haired man's voice sent pleasant waves of goose bumps up and down Ichigo's body as he stuttered for a reply to the man's crooked grin.

"I… I guess I am still not entirely… comfortable with being in a place like this and tied down to a bed. Kinda kicks my fight or flight instinct into overdrive." He wasn't even going to touch the remark about biting as it had stirred something fiery and primal within him that he wasn't entirely sure how to handle.

"You struck me as the type who doesn't like to be held back or restrained in any way. I guess this wouldn't be my choice of how things went down either if I was trussed up to a bed. Of course, I ain't much of an under anyways; I like being on top." The man's voice turned utterly devious as he spoke and Ichigo knew that he was fully aware of the obvious innuendo to his words.

Trying desperately to not let his quickened breathing sound too loud in the nearly empty room, Ichigo coughed and left the man's comment alone. It wasn't that he was disturbed by it; he was turned on by it but didn't know how to respond.

Ichigo had known for some time that he played both sides of the fence so it didn't bother him in the least that he was turned on by the other man, it was the simple fact that he was just awkward about pursuing his interests. It was the only thing he wasn't completely confident in when it came to socializing.

"So why you here ginger?" The bluenette asked. Ichigo stopped in his train of thought of how attractive the man was to turn his head look him in the eyes. Studying the man's face, he saw no mocking, only serious and impatient expectancy.

"Because I can see ghosts and I have a twisted version of me living in my brain that I can converse with and give control of my body over to." Ichigo watched the man's eyes widen in something unrecognizable. It wasn't fear, incredulity or malice. If Ichigo had to guess he would have said it looked like genuine surprise in the man's eyes.

"In short, I'm here because I'm crazy. You?" The man turned his head away and broke their gaze to look up at the dark ceiling again. A big grin covered his face as his eyes slid closed as though he were remembering the events that brought him here.

"I got into a fist fight with a poltergeist that had possessed a man. I can see ghosts too and I also got a thing livin' inside my head." Turning back to smile wide at Ichigo, the blue haired man continued.

"I guess that makes me crazy too."

"Fuck you." Ichigo said grumpily before he had even thought the retort through. It seemed like the guy was just fucking with him now. Here Ichigo had told the truth and this jackass was making fun of him. Course, what kind of reaction did he think he'd get when he told someone something so… well, crazy?

"Calm the fuck down ginger, all I did was tell you the truth." Ichigo stilled as the word truth left the blue haired man's mouth with force. The man seemed a little aggravated that Ichigo was being hostile but at the same time it was like he had expected it.

_"Make 'im prove it!" _Shiro crowed inside his head.

"Prove it then." Ichigo said, almost echoing Shiro's words with a vindictive tone. He scrutinized the blue haired man's face as they locked eyes. Ichigo could feel himself being pulled into the vibrant cyan orbs that swirled with determination as the man spoke in a smug tone.

"There's an angsty mother fucker of a ghost over in the west wing. The depressed little shit is pretty violent when provoked and it certainly doesn't take to kindly to those who can see it clearly." Ichigo felt his jaw fall with shock as his eyes widened.

The guy was telling the truth; at least about the ghosts. It was true that there was a less than friendly entity in the west wing that exuded a very sorrowful aura. Ichigo felt like he wasn't totally alone for the first time in his life since discovering he was capable of seeing spirits. For once he found someone who believed him and in turn experienced some of the same things he did.

As if that wasn't enough to convince Ichigo, the bluenette smiled devilishly and lowered his voice conspiratorially as he stretched and strained against his bonds to lean in as close to Ichigo as he could.

"Up close I can also see that other you reflected in your eyes and your energy. He's angry, violent and a spur of the moment kinda guy. If I focus real hard I can see his white face, white hair and his strange black and gold eyes in your face staring back at me." Ichigo lay there numbly and totally floored that he had described Shiro's appearance.

Ichigo now knew the meaning of the expression "shit bricks"; if it was possible, he would have done so. He felt completely and utterly exposed. Someone could see the darkness inside of him as though it were physically present and could understand him fully for the first time. The bluenette laughed heartily at Ichigo's completely dumbstruck expression.

"How can you see him?" Ichigo half whispered, still in shock that he had described Shiro to him. Ichigo had never even told Tatsuki what Shiro looked like, no one but he knew; and now apparently this strange mental patient knew.

"I've been able to see spirits since I was really young. Years and years of practice at controlling my own energy lets me see inside peoples'… souls for lack of a better way to describe it. It is the same as when you keep Shiro from taking you over only I just took it to the next level." Ichigo stuttered and coughed in complete surprise when the man had voiced Shiro's name. Responding to all the attention that was being paid to him, Shiro piped up and cackled loudly in his mind.

"_Oi King! I like this one. I give ya permission ta keep 'im around; among other things…!" _Ichigo blushed in complete mortification at what Shiro had said. That was another reason Ichigo had never dated. Having another person in your head while you were trying to make a move was incredibly distracting. Shiro was like his very own personal, portable, violent little voyeur.

"Y-you can't hear him… can you?" Ichigo asked tentatively. He would have died if the bluenette said yes, but he didn't.

"Naw. He's in your head, remember idiot?" The big man laughed deeply. "I only know his name because I've heard you mumblin' in your sleep for a few hours about him. I just put two and two together." He smirked and Ichigo sighed a heavy breath of relief. The last thing he wanted was for other's to be able to hear Shiro. With his luck, he'd get carted off to some secret government lab or something else entirely ridiculous.

"You said that you had something in your head too?" Ichigo asked; his manner more relaxed and inquisitive. He was a little skeptical but he couldn't lie, he was totally curious and had been caught up by the strange man, hook, line and sinker.

"Yeah." The bluenette replied nonchalantly. "It isn't a version of myself though, but something I've had with me for as long as I can remember. He calls himself Pantera. Sounds a kinda lame but it fits since he always takes the shape of a spectral panther." The bluenette eyed Ichigo with a hard look as if daring him to make fun of the information he was sharing. It was the kind of look that spoke volumes as to the physical harm he would do to Ichigo if he so much as thought of mocking him.

Ichigo didn't even crack a smile as he nodded and took the information in. He could tell the guy would happily beat the shit out of him if he so much as rolled his eyes, not that he would. Ichigo knew what it was like to have someone else in your head.

"So how'd you slip up and land yourself in here, huh ginger?" The bluenette asked, changing the subject from himself.

Ichigo sighed and decided it couldn't hurt anything to tell the guy. Really, who was going to believe anything a mental patient said anyways? Judging from the little bit the bluenette had told him about beating up a possessed man, they both could be classified as criminally insane.

"I beat lost control and Shiro took the wheel; we wound up beating the hell out of a couple things who thought it a brilliant idea to rob me. An old friend of mine happened on us and I just lost it and told her everything after the thugs ran off." Ichigo could still remember the feeling of horror when Tatsuki showed up on the scene. The look she had given him was one he would not forget anytime soon.

"Next morning, my dad showed up with two men from here and I was still dead tired and not all there after the hell of a night I had." Ichigo sighed and continued his cliff notes version of the tale as he remembered everything in clear and vivid detail.

"Long story short, I screamed out to an imaginary person and then punched myself in the face." Ichigo felt his temper flare up when the bluenette laughed at him. Shiro chuckled along too which only served to piss Ichigo off more.

"Dude, fuck you!" Ichigo snapped before turning away and looking to his other side at an empty bed while the man tried to apologize.

"Sorry. But even I didn't slip up that bad. I mean, you gotta admit that was pretty funny. Sounds like something from a movie." He chuckled throatily as Ichigo still looked away sulkily. The man was right, but Ichigo was still touchy about it. He hadn't laughed at the bluenette's story.

"Don't be a bitch ginger, I said I was sorry. You can't take everything in here so seriously or you will go nuts, like you almost did." Ichigo slowly turned his head back over to look the bluenette in the eyes. The man wore a curious expression that was a mix of grim determination and haunted experience.

"In here you're surrounded by people who won't listen to you and people who aren't living the same hell as you. Each patient's hell in here is different. I've seen the way how pinky -the twisted doctor- hovers around you. It isn't too hard to tell what he wants and the whole situation had almost dropped you to your knees in complete submission."

Ichigo felt a small weight lifted from his shoulders to know that someone was not totally blind to his suffering. Someone had noticed his pain and the horrors he was enduring. Speaking softly, Ichigo asked the man what he could do to protect himself. The heavily muscled, blue eyed man laughed bitterly.

"Don't drop the soap." Ichigo cocked a fiery brow at the man and curled his lip in distaste at the joke. Really if the guy wasn't going to give good advice he should have just shut up. The bluenette piped back up at the sour look on Ichigo's face.

"No honestly. I would tell you to try and not wind up alone anywhere, but that is pretty futile seeing as how they control everything in here. The only thing you can do is keep on resisting and fighting back till you finally make it over that wall of yours that you watch every day."

So the blue haired man had been watching him for sometime then? Ichigo thought it a little funny that he had only just seen the man, but then again it wasn't too unusual as he had been so numb for a while now. He had been dead to everything around him.

It seemed though, that escape was on the blue haired man's list of things to do as well. Feeling drawn into a strange companionship with the man, Ichigo prompted their conversation to continue.

"Tell me more about the possessed guy you fought." Ichigo could tell he wasn't the only one interested in the guy's story; Shiro perked up to attention and Ichigo could almost see him sitting quietly to hear what the man said. Shiro had never been so calm for anything before. Ichigo was amazed by the effect this strange patient had on him and his inner twin.

"Well I was a maintenance worker. Me and a team of a couple other guys would go to older homes and just fix them up. Not too bright of a career choice for someone who could see ghosts." Ichigo chuckled lightly at the man's jibe.

"It was the family business though, so I went along with it. Well one day we started work on an older two story home." The man's expression looked far away as he recalled the events. It was as though he were almost reliving them.

"We worked on it for weeks but since day one I knew something was up with the house and little by little my coworkers were noticing how strange I was behaving around the place. I kept having encounters with the poltergeist as it seemed to only pick on me since I could see it." The blue haired man sighed deeply as he continued his story with Ichigo and Shiro listening in rapt attention.

"Well the poltergeist had possessed one of the guys on my crew and it tried to off me. So I defended myself and beat the fuck out the guy while trying to use my own energy to force the damn thing out. They found me holding down the guy muttering the words 'get out' over and over to him as he moaned in pain on the ground. So, here I am." Ichigo assessed the man's story and found it to be believable. Hell, he could see ghosts and had his anti-self in his brain, why not believe the man?

They were both as sane as one could be in their situation, stuck in a place where they did not belong. Ichigo was grateful to have someone he could relate to in this hell hole. There were two of them now. If Ichigo could convince the guy to work with him, they had a better chance of getting the fuck out of there.

"You said something about goo behavior?" Ichigo queried with caution. "Does that mean you plan on working your way out of here?" He watched as the bluenette turned back to face him. He studied Ichigo with a critical look as if trying to discern Ichigo's intent.

"I don't plan on waitin' for them to let me out, if that's what you mean." The man said, his tone colored with suspicion. Ichigo couldn't help the smirk that cracked his face.

"It wasn't." Ichigo replied. "I plan on getting out of here as well, as you seemed to have noticed. Two heads are better than one, why not work together?" He proffered to the blue haired man. The bluenette laid there thinking for a moment, his expression one of musing. Turning his eyes back to Ichigo, he smiled a big toothy grin.

"Why not? I could use a partner in crime." Ichigo chuckled and for the first time in months, he felt optimistic. He had managed to find a friend in this hell. Shiro hummed happily in his head at the prospect of never having to go into the white room ever again.

_This means we kind of have to work together, you know? _Ichigo directed his thoughts to Shiro. The pale, inverted twin cackled quietly.

_"I guess so, King. B'sides… if'n we get outta here, there's a high chance ol' blue there'll stick around. I wouldn't mind much an' yer practically swoonin' over 'im so I imagine that means we got a common interest." _Ichigo ignored the crude laugh that followed Shiro's statement. Is was true he was attracted to the man, but he wasn't entirely sure the bluenette swung that way.

_"Oh trust me King, he does…" _Shiro said in a pervy giggle. Ichigo rolled his eyes and found his attention being jerked back to the man next to him.

"So have you put any thought into what you'd do when you got outta here?" The bluenette asked. Ichigo had put a little bit of thought into, as a matter of fact.

"Yeah. I figured I'd just find a place somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. I want a place away from people where I can just relax and not have to worry about hiding pieces of myself from everyone. Secrets are tiring." The bluenette nodded in agreement.

"I thought much the same thing for myself as well. I need the open space and the privacy as sometimes I wind up going a little nuts cause my resident panther get's stir crazy." Ichigo smirked. Shiro got bored easily too. He guessed entities like them got cabin fever too; after a fashion anyway.

"By the by, name's Grimmjow." The bluenette said with an affable smile. Ichigo returned the smile and ignored Shiro's obnoxious prompting to hit on the man.

"I'm Icihgo." He replied simply. Grimmjow chuckled at the name. Ichigo knew the man had jumped to the conclusion that it meant "berry" but he didn't really care; everyone did.

"Hmmm… Berry, huh? I make no promises to not just call you ginger." Grimmjow paused and his eyes lit up with a mischievous merriment. "Or gingerberry… sounds too fruity for you. Ginger it is." Ichigo laughed and rolled his eyes, not bothering to complain about it. He was simply grateful to have someone to talk to.

Despite having been asleep for some time, Ichigo felt his weariness catching up to him. It seemed to be the same for Grimmjow as all conversation had dropped off to be replaced by deep, even breaths. Lying with his head towards Grimmjow, Ichigo watched the man as he laid there with his eyes closed. He didn't know if Grimmjow was asleep or not, but he was content to watch him anyways.

The enigmatic, blue haired man fascinated Ichigo. Something about the man's nature drew him in like a moth to a flame. Whether it was because he was like Ichigo or because Ichigo was attracted to him, he didn't know. When he thought about though, he realized it didn't really matter.

He wondered briefly about whether or not Shiro was right. Would Grimmjow want to stick together after they busted out of their prison? It was an entertaining thought that amused him. He wouldn't mind.

Slowly, sleep took him by the hand and led him off to the most peaceful sleep he had managed to have in years.

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**Hope their first real meeting lived up to expectations! I cannot wait for you all to see what I have in store! :D**

**~Aurelia**


	4. Chapter 3

**Sorry about how long it took to update this. I had just vowed to finish another story first and of course I have been quite busy with trying to prepare for my move. :P But I did want to say thank you for all the favorites and the reviews! They mean an awful lot to me. ^_^**

**Anyways, without any further ado, I hope you all like the chapter. :D**

**...**

**...**

_ Warm breaths hit his face as a wave of sensations came over him. The feel of lips on the skin of his neck drew a small, airy moan from him as he luxuriated in the feel of another's body heat against his skin. Hands wandered all over his body as he tried to let his hands caress back but something restrained him. He knew it should have bothered him, but it didn't. All he cared about was the wonderful feeling it was when those lips led sloppy trailing kisses down his torso. _

_ Strong, slightly callused hands stroked nearly every inch of his body as he felt himself shiver with delight. A delicious warmth burned slowly in his abdomen as the hands ran from his sides down to his hips to then cross over the rub gently at the insides of his thighs. Panting with want, he tried to thrust himself into those hands only to find them teasingly flitting away to clutch strongly at his slim hips._

_ The sinful mouth that left those wet kisses drew closer and closer to his already straining member and he almost whimpered in anticipation as the kisses halted mere inches away. Abruptly, his heated solace was shattered._

_ "Oi King! Nice dream and all, but fuckin' tone it down will ya? Wake the fuck up already a'right?"_

Ichigo jolted awake to stare at a bland white ceiling and to hear movement in the room. Panicked, he threw a quick glance down over himself and was completely relieved yet slightly baffled to see that he wasn't dealing with any morning wood. Shaking his head, he strained to look up across the room and saw a couple orderlies entering the room.

Throwing his gaze to his side, he was a little panicked to find Grimmjow's bed already empty. The orderlies said nothing to him as they walked up and cautiously removed his restraints. Standing up, he attempted to stretch but he was already being prodded out of the room by the creepy and over cheerful orderlies. Ushered into the cafeteria they told him to be good and to eat his breakfast as they helped him find a tray of food and plopped him down at a table with a couple other patients.

Staring down at the yellow, wobbly blob that was supposed to be scrambled eggs, Ichigo suddenly found himself hankering for outside food. How long had it been since he had outside food? God he was really losing his sense of time in here.

Picking up a fork he experimentally poked at the yellow mush, checking to make sure it wasn't alive by some horrible misfortune. Sighing, he dropped the fork and settled for the bland, cardboard reminiscent toast. It wouldn't have been too bad with a little more butter and some jam.

_"Mmmmmm… strawberry jam." _Shiro moaned inside his mind. Of all the common ground Ichigo had with the maniac, strawberry jam was one thing. It had been one of Ichigo's favorites for as long as he could remember. The sound of a plastic food tray clunking down on the table beside him drew him out of his strawberry jam filled fantasies and back to reality.

Ichigo's eyes widened a bit when he found the tall, well muscled, golden tanned Grimmjow plunk down in the seat beside him with a grunted hello. Ichigo hadn't seen the bluenette when he entered the cafeteria so he must have just got there. Suddenly and rather painfully aware of their proximity, Ichigo abruptly remembered his steamy dream from earlier. Taking a deep, calming breath, he found his nostrils filled with Grimmjow's scent and a heat began to slowly burn inside his loins.

_Oh fuck! No, no, no, NO! Not now! _

Ichigo howled in his mind, praying to anything that would listen that he wasn't going to get a delayed reaction from his AWOL morning wood. Shiro howled with crazed laughter as a tinge of red swept across Ichigo's face.

_"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is fuckin' great, King!" _The strange inverted twin cackled. Doing his best to ignore Shiro, Ichigo turned his attention back to the blue haired Greek statue next to him.

"The fuck you blushing for berry?" Grimmjow asked, his brow raised in question and a less than happy look on his face. Ichigo stuttered a quick apology and turned his attention back to picking at his unappealing breakfast. Grimmjow growled and took a deep breath as though physically bracing himself before he took up his fork and began shoveling food into his mouth. He ate so fast that Ichigo barely believed the man could even taste it. Course, that was probably the point of eating it that fast.

Feeling himself calm down a little, Ichigo tried to eat more of his own food but couldn't really find the desire to eat the less than savory looking meal.

"You need strength. Eat, ginger." Grimmjow said under his breath in low, commanding tones. Sighing, he knew the bluenette to be correct. Following Grimmjow's lead he tried to shove the food in his mouth and swallow with minimal amounts of chewing. It was good thing he never really had much in the way of a gag reflex, otherwise the horrible taste and texture would have caused him to spew all across the table. Shiro sniggered with wicked glee.

_What, freak? _

Ichigo asked his mad inner self as he gulped down another bite of salt and pepper seasoned mush.

_"Oh nuthin'. Just wonderin' on how yer new friend would take tha' little bit 'o info." _Ichigo sat dumbly for a second, his fork stilled halfway on its journey to his mouth with yet another bite.

_Oh you littler fucker… _

He growled internally as another blush crept up his neck. Shiro howled in renewed laughter as Ichigo came to the realization of what it was Shiro had been referring to.

_First of all, I don't even know if he swings that way. Second….. just… no! _

Shiro's twisted, echoing peals reverberated in his skull as Ichigo tried his best to quiet him up by walling him away within another part of his psyche. Shaking his head he brought the fork back up to his lips and downed the bite before he could even taste it. Dropping the plastic fork, he turned his head to find Grimmjow intently scrutinizing him.

"Uhm, what?" He asked tentatively of the bluenette. Grimmjow smirked and looked away to pick up his plastic cup of orange juice and down it swiftly.

"Nothing." He replied in between gulps. "Just watching you argue with Shiro. I kind of wish I knew what you guys were arguing about." Ichigo's hand stilled on its way to his own glass of juice. He could tell when Ichigo was communicating with Shiro? Picking up his juice, he took a sip and stared over the cup at Grimmjow.

"How?" Was all he asked Grimmjow. The bluenette chuckled throatily, a sound that set Ichigo's skin a shiver with goose bumps. Taking another sip, he listened as Grimmjow spoke.

"Well your…. aura for all intents and purposes, changes in turn between two separate feelings. It is like a conversation. Also, you stopped out of nowhere and had a faraway look in your eye. The warmer feel of your aura is you and the colder is Shiro. Makes sense to me that you were talking to him." Ichigo sat dumbstruck next to the man, almost disbelieving what he was hearing.

"I guessed you were arguing by the intensity of the feelings your aura gave out." Grimmjow concluded. Sighing, Ichigo shook his head and finished off his watery orange juice. He couldn't sense a thing around him, but this man was so spiritually aware it was ridiculous.

"You gotta teach me how you do that shit." Ichigo muttered. Grimmjow gave a quiet laugh, smirking at Ichigo with a crooked smile that showed off his unusually sharp canines as he nodded to Ichigo.

"Ok. Why not?" He said with a careless shrug of his shoulders. Neither of them were able to get another word in before an orderly came to the table.

"Alright, Mr. Kurosaki, it's time for your session with Dr. Granz." Ichigo felt the food in his stomach turn to ash in dread. He hated Dr. Granz and the last thing he wanted to do was have to put up with a thirty minute to an hour long "talk" in the perverted, creepy doctor's office.

Ichigo had no choice though, as the orderly pulled him up from his chair to lead him out of the cafeteria. Throwing one last glance over his shoulder, his eyes met Grimmjow's for a brief second. Grimmjow mouthed something to Ichigo before he was finally pulled from the cafeteria.

"Watch yourself."

**…**

**…**

Inside Dr. Granz's office, Ichigo sat in an uncomfortable folding chair facing the doctor who scrutinized him critically over his rectangular, silver glasses. He sat back in his leather desk chair and held his clipboard on his knee, taking down the occasional note.

"So it seems you've finally made a friend Ichigo." The doctor said affably. Ichigo's stony expression didn't waver. He wouldn't give anything to this creep. He did, though, have to find a way to lull the man into a form of trust so Ichigo might be able to make his escape. Yet the last thing he wanted to do though was get all buddy-buddy with the man.

"I guess." Ichigo said completely deadpan. The doctor tsked and peered over his spectacles at Ichigo. Sighing he smiled and leaned forward, lowering his voice as though he were a kid sharing some super special secret. Ichigo fought his damndest to not roll his eyes as Shiro grumbled unheard obscenities at the doctor.

"You should be careful though. Don't get too attached as he is awfully violent. I don't want him stirring you up in anyway like he did yesterday when he started that big fight." Ichigo snorted and couldn't help the derisive laugh the rolled from his lips. Grimmjow hadn't started that, new guy with the crazy, spiky hair and all the scars did. The doc was full of crap.

"Yeah, ok." Ichigo said rolling his eyes. He had had enough of the doctor's patronizing. Like lightning, the doctor's hand whipped out to land on Ichigo's knee where it gripped painfully. Instantly rising to the threat, every muscle inside him tensed. His arm tensed and began to cock back when the doctor's voice filled with mocking warning stopped him.

"Ah-ah…." The doctor warned, shaking his head. Ichigo sat still tensed, waiting for the doctor's next move. The hand's grasp was painful and Ichigo could feel his hairs stand on end as Shiro let out a low growl in his mind. The lascivious hunger in the doctor's eyes was enough to make the substance what could hardly have passed for food in his stomach roil unpleasantly.

"Don't be so flippant with me. Or I will have to _discipline_ you. I liked you better when you were so obedient." The doctor cooed.

Ichigo felt Shiro's growl rumble through his own throat as the doctor's tongue peeked out to dash across his upper lip. His skin crawled at the word discipline and Ichigo had to struggle mightily to not strike out at the doctor. Clenching his jaw he spoke heatedly from behind his bared teeth.

"You mean when I was dead to everything and didn't give a shit?" Ichigo retorted harshly. The doctor's voice lowered conspiratorially as he spoke, a vicious smile lighting his face.

"No, I like it because I thought I had broken you." As much as Ichigo wanted to rip the man to pieces right then and there, he didn't. Not even when the doctor leaned forward even closer and ran his tongue across the line of Ichigo's jaw.

Stiffening in shock and disgust, Ichigo fought to keep himself and Shiro under control. Not because he needed to do his best to behave, not because he didn't want to go to the white room where Shiro would rage out of control and not because he didn't want to be drugged up and left trussed up to a bed all night. He didn't punch the doctor because all consequences if he did meant he wouldn't get to see Grimmjow for a while. Damn he was whipped. It was sort of pathetic.

The hand on his knee began to slowly journey its way up Ichigo's thigh and he could feel himself losing control on his anger and on Shiro. The doctor let his tongue travel up Ichigo's jaw line to toy with his ear lobe as he whispered breathily into his ear.

"I'm not so bad you know… I could help you if only you would let me. We could help each other, you see…" Dr. Granz's voice was laden with sick promises that Ichigo couldn't stomach. Before the doctor's hand could reach its intended destination, Ichigo's calm snapped.

Knowing he wasn't nearly as strong as he used to be since being sent here, Ichigo still did his best to pry the doctor's grip from his leg as he tried to stand without the doctor's face becoming uncomfortably close to his groin. Dr. Granz laughed and sat back in his chair, releasing Ichigo.

"You've been a good boy today, Ichigo. We're done for the day." Not bothering to say thank you or anything else for that matter, as he couldn't stand being in the pink haired fuck's presence a second longer, Ichigo flew out of the room and dashed off down the hall under the watchful gaze of orderlies as he made his way at a brisk walk to the common room where most of the patients would be.

He raged inside and tired his best to quell that rage as it only excited Shiro. Letting his thoughts drift somewhere more pleasant, Ichigo tried to focus on Grimmjow. He hoped the bluenette would be in the common room. The man had never been in there prior to the fight; at least not that Ichigo had noticed anyways.

Almost to the common room, something stopped him. An icy breath of air brushed against his skin as a set of chills rolled down his body. Stopping dead in his tracks he looked to his left. Down another hall about twenty feet, was the large, metal double doors that led into the pseudo abandoned west wing. Cliff Point didn't have enough patients at this time to need the west wing so it was currently used for storage. But it was the ghost that inhabited it that made it less than abandoned.

Reflected in the small square window of one of the doors was a shockingly pale and unhappy face. Dead eyes stared out at him without emotion from the glass as pitch black hair fell across its face. Checking to see if anyone else was in the hallway Ichigo tore his gaze from the ghost to find he was the only one in the hall way. Looking back to the door that led to the west wing, Ichigo was disturbed to find the face gone and the usually locked door slightly ajar.

Whether it was a sign of welcome or a dare, Ichigo didn't know but he felt intrigued enough to take the chance.

_I'm probably going to regret this. _He thought wryly to himself.

"_Ehhh-yup." _Shiro replied brightly.

**…**

**…**

Grimmjow sat in the common room doing his damndest to stay out of trouble. It appeared the new guy who started yesterday's fight was still in isolation so that was help, but not much. Grimmjow craved action as did Pantera. Normally he would have gone back to his room, but he imagined Ichigo would show up back out here when his session with Pinky the mad scientist was finished.

Something about the pink haired doctor made Grimmjow want to pummel him. The man was slimy and way too in love with himself. Now Grimmjow was arrogant and had a hell of an ego, but he was **not **a narcissist. He felt bad for Ichigo for having to endure time alone with that man. Grimmjow's own sessions were done by the sanitarium's director; a Dr. Kurotsuchi. The man was a freak show and was rather sadistic. Though being the director he was quite often busy and didn't have nearly as much time for his sessions with Grimmjow, much to the bluenette's relief.

He didn't know if he would consider Ichigo lucky or not to not have the director as his doctor. Dr. Granz was bad enough in his own way. A slight twinge settled in Grimmjow's chest as he wondered how things were going for the berry.

_"You worry like a mother cat. Honestly, it is obvious you like the young man so just admit it to yourself and desist with the stubborn denials already." _Grimmjow rolled his eyes and focused on ignoring the voice within his head.

_"Confess it; you're more than intrigued by him."_ Pantera continued in a dignified yet snide tone.

_I __**am**__ curious about him, but why wouldn't I be? He has an inner self that has split away from him into another being and he can see ghosts. He's the first person I've met with abilities like mine. _

Grimmjow growled in his thoughts defensively. He knew it was futile to argue with Pantera as nine times out of ten, the spectral panther won.

_"It is more than that and you know it. You have been in here for almost a year now and you have needs that require tending to. I've caught you admiring his physique more than once so you can give up the charade with me at least, and admit it to yourself." _And like that Pantera had completely torn down Grimmjow's argument. He hated losing, but what bothered him most was losing to a voice in **his** head.

_Fuck off. _

He thought sulkily. Pantera chuckled in turn and replied with a silky smooth, smug voice.

_"Given time that you will…" _Grimmjow couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips. Pantera was right; he did find himself attracted to Ichigo. The way the ginger stuttered, blushed and tried to turn the conversation away from anything sexual was just… well cute. It was refreshing since Grimmjow had always dealt with very direct sexual partners that often tried to assert their dominance. He had always beaten those people down in their bid to be the one on top, and after a while it no longer became a challenge. Ichigo's abashed yet wily nature intrigued him, a lot.

_"See? You should just defer to me all the time." _Pantera whispered in his mind with an airy chuckle. Grimmjow almost snorted as he stared out a window at the wall Ichigo so often watched.

_It would be boring if I let you win all the time. Besides, isn't that why you picked me; because I'm always so damn aggressive? _

He got a sense of Pantera shrugging nonchalantly, if panthers could shrug.

_"There is truth to what you speak. I cannot have a vessel that is meek or unsure of them self. Using you as my vessel certainly trumps being an incorporeal mist with a tenth of my true power; that and I enjoy your challenging nature."_ Grimmjow couldn't help but feel his ego being stroked and Pantera knew it. They were quite the team and they had fought and beaten more than their fair share of opponents human and nonhuman alike.

The poltergeist that landed him in there was one of them. The nasty little fuck had sensed that there was something less than human about Grimmjow. Because of Pantera's presence in his being, Grimmjow had grown used to drawing all kinds of supernatural entities to him. Each confrontation had made both of them stronger and it was the strength and the victory they both relished.

There was something about Ichigo that was wild and slightly unhinged just like how Grimmjow was. Whether it was Shiro or something darker though, he wasn't sure. During their little heart to heart last night, Grimmjow had noticed that Ichigo had said nothing about his family. Did they have a role in it all? The ginger was tough to be sure, but there was a vulnerability about him too that Grimmjow couldn't help but ponder on.

_"Hmmm…" _Pantera mused in a curious hum. Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow and waited not so patiently for the panther to reveal his musings.

_"It's been a little over an hour. Where is your friend?"_ Grimmjow shook his head in slight surprise. The berry had been gone for a while now. Where was he? A slight feeling of momentary panic set in to then be overcome by a slow burning, protective anger. That was one thing about Grimmjow that never changed; he was always so full of anger.

Standing up slowly and casually, he stretched languorously before turning to saunter out of the common room towards the direction of his own room. Watching the orderlies form the corner of his eyes to ensure they weren't too interested in his actions, he then meandered on down the hall. Upon reaching the door to his room he continued onwards down the hall to Dr. Granz's office.

_"Stop." _Pantera commanded. Grimmjow grudgingly came to a halt, not being one to appreciate taking orders from anyone.

Waiting he felt Pantera's senses merge with his own. His vision grew more acute as colors became incredibly vivid and bright and the slightest movement drew his attention. His hearing grew keener, listening to every little rustle of an insect, the distant cough of someone down the hall and unintelligible screaming of a patient on the other side of the complex. He could feel air currents on his skin and as they tugged at his thin blue patient scrubs and he could smell everything from the sterile cleaning supplies used on the floors to the smell of sweat and paranoid fear.

It was almost overwhelming but he had had years to grow accustomed to it. Listening intently, he let his nose pick up a scent. It was the warm, musky yet almost sweet smell that belonged to Ichigo. God he smelled good. Following the scent back the way he came roughly ten feet, Grimmjow halted in front of a hallway that led to a pair of heavy double doors and into the west wing. Ichigo's scent led inside.

_What the fuck was that ginger thinking? _

Grimmjow wondered to himself. He had told Ichigo the thing was violent and he knew Ichigo knew it was there, so why did he go in?

_"I suspect the idiot was lured in. I don't smell the depraved doctor's scent anywhere so you do not have to worry yourself about your territory being spoiled." _The snide and almost mocking tones of Pantera's comment got under Grimmjow's skin a little as his classic, fiery temper flared up. Taking a deep breath, he checked the hallway to find it empty except for himself. Setting his jaw in determination he set out for the large double doors.

In his mind Pantera sighed heavily. Testing the door, he could feel the power of the spirit barring the door closed. Drawing heavily on Pantera's strength and his own, Grimmjow shattered the barrier as though it were nothing.

_"Honestly? I would ask if we __**had**__ to go in after the fool but I know it would be considered a stupid question. Go, go fetch your boyfriend." _Grimmjow sniggered at Pantera's words.

He knew the spectral panther was itching for a good fight just as much as he was. Opening the doors, he slipped in and let them fall closed behind him. If the ghost wasn't too preoccupied with Ichigo, then it certainly would have noticed its barrier being broken down and sensed the intruder now in its domain.

Rolling his neck from side to side, Grimmjow cracked it and then his knuckles as a wide and feral grin spread across his lips. In his mind he could feel Pantera uncoiling and readying himself for anything. Expanding their senses together, they set off into the derelict west wing after Ichigo's scent.

**…**

**…**

Wandering the halls on high alert like a wary street cat, Ichigo tried to figure out why the ghost had let him in. Since seeing the thing's pale face reflected in the window of the door, he had yet to see or sense it again. He did have the most unpleasant, sinking feeling that he was not alone.

_"Oi King, what're we even doin' in 'ere?" _Shiro asked with an obviously bored tone. Ichigo knew the pale twin wanted to mock him some more while he tried to converse with Grimmjow rather than chase after sulky ghosts. Shiro was quite good at coming up with the most vulgar things that almost made Ichigo choke on his own words from the indecency. Not to mention Ichigo had a vivid imagination that had no brakes.

Ignoring the wild, inverted specter of himself, Ichigo continued on down the halls looking for any sign that intrigued him. He didn't have to search much longer. Stopping at one of the last couple rooms, Ichigo peered inside and saw that it was unlike the rest. Sure everything in the west wing was dusty, dirty and unused for some time, but this room was filthy.

Rust red water had leaked down over the years to leave corrosive stains on the white walls like red tear stains. The floor was littered with dead leaves that had blown in from a broken window and the door to the room was askew on its hinges. But what really gave Ichigo pause about the room was the muddy, rust tinged handprints that covered nearly every surface in the room. He could tell without even stepping in the room that it was the place that the ghost frequented most.

A sudden and icy chill overtook him and Shiro growled in warning. They were no longer alone. Like a mirage, a watery visage shimmered into being in the center of the room to solidify into a human figure.

The ghost was male, slender, short and very pale with white skin that looked more along the lines of gray when compared to Shiro's luminescent complexion. Shoulder length black, lank hair hung thickly around its face as it stared at him with poison green eyes. It wore tattered and stained, white patient scrubs, unlike the pale blue ones the patients today wore.

Not wanting to appear afraid, Ichigo stood his ground as he felt Shiro beginning to claw within his mind for control. Ichigo watched as the entity raised its emotionless face. It was obvious it was once a patient, but what it wanted Ichigo had no clue. He hadn't even the slightest idea how long the thing had been here. Raising a hand, it pointed to Ichigo and spoke in a dead voice that echoed around him softly.

"Unwanted…" It said. Ichigo could feel his blood turn cold as the ghost's aura wrapped around him like an icy, wet blanket. The thing's power smothered him and he could feel himself become paralyzed with the intensity of its aura.

"Don't belong… not here… not anywhere…" Ichigo could feel utter and unnatural despair take him over as the thing continued to whisper.

He was suddenly thinking of how his father had cast him aside to rot in this place. He had never tried to listen or to help Ichigo; he had only thrown him into the uncaring hands of others to be dealt with. It was cruel and he now knew his father, his sisters, his friends… none of them wanted him.

He wasn't normal, he wasn't right and he didn't belong anywhere. Even if he had made friends with Grimmjow, the man was probably just using him as a tool for his own amusements or his own escape. He didn't deserve friends, he wasn't something people befriended but something they cast aside and ignored.

A raged and howling scream reverberated in the walls of his mind. He could feel a part of himself filling with a blinding rage that begged to be let loose. Not wanting to care anymore, Ichigo gave in to the consuming rage and let himself fall away as it took him over to leave him in nothingness.

**…**

**…**

Grimmjow didn't need Pantera's help to feel the sudden spike of power that raged out of control with pure fury. Recognizing the power, he realized that something must have happened to Ichigo to cause Shiro to take control. In response to Shiro's untamed rage, a cold and depressing aura rose in power as an enraged howl echoed though the empty halls of the west wing.

Taking off in a dead run, Grimmjow sprinted towards the source of the unbridled energies with Pantera pacing back and forth in his mind. It didn't take him too long to find where they were. The first thing that greeted him was a snarling Ichigo, face twisted in a rabidly psychotic grin as his eyes glowed a fiery golden with Shiro's power. Ichigo's aura glowed a blinding white that almost hurt to look at but at the center of it all was a core of pitch black.

Looking past the now possessed ginger that stood in the doorway to a messy room, Grimmjow saw the violent and fierce ghost inside. A cold, black and deep green aura emanated from the ghost that reeked of soul crushing despair. Grimmjow knew that despair would have no effect on Shiro, but it had obviously hit Ichigo somewhere very vulnerable.

Feeling his love of fighting mix with his desire to protect the ginger, Grimmjow stepped forward only to have himself abruptly thrown back with an immensely powerful backhanded blow from the Shiro possessed Ichigo.

Hitting the wall hard, the breath was knocked from Grimmjow's lungs as he grunted more out of surprise than pain. Plaster rained down from above on Grimmjow as he shook his head clear from the powerful blow as he tried to get up. Looking up he growled at what he saw. The ginger snarled and there was no hint of recognition in his gold and black eyes. It seemed that in this state Shiro would not recognize him. Grimmjow was going to have a tough time subduing the berry while dealing with the ghost.

About to get up and try to restrain the ginger, Pantera halted him, biding him to wait and watch. Sitting still, Grimmjow watched the Ichigo-turned-Shiro turn back to the ghost just in time for the thing to rush in and tackle the ginger in a blur of movement. A bellow of rage issued forth from Ichigo's body as he grappled with the solid appearing entity. Grimmjow wanted nothing more than to join in and fight, if not to protect the ginger.

_"Just watch." _Pantera said. _"I can already tell he can handle his own and I want to see how he takes care of the thing." _Pantera's voice was laced with unbridled curiosity though it was more than evident to Grimmjow that he wanted nothing more than to unleash his strength. Forcing himself to sit still, he watched as the berry grappled with the entity.

Finally managing to dislodge the small yet wiry ghost, the ginger roared an inhuman roar as he focused all of his energy into his right hand. Just as the ghost recovered, he threw the energy from his hand at the ghost in a blinding flash of pale light tinged with black. An unearthly shriek was torn from the ghost as it shied away from the attack to disappear in a swirl of black mist.

Everything settled into an eerie silence as Shiro's aura dropped in power form the attack to almost nothing. Standing still and panting heavily, the ginger slowly turned towards Grimmjow, the wide and wicked grin still on his features and his eyes still a bright swirl of gold and black. Tilting his head to the side, he held his arms out in a gesture of goodwill.

"Sorry bout tha' Grimm… ya were jus' in mah way." The voice was similar to Ichigo's but rougher and distorted sounding with a quality that could be best described as watery. Grimmjow sat slightly dumbstruck as he watched the possessed ginger fall to his knees. Jerking out of his surprise, Grimmjow lurched over to the berry's side and supported the fatigued man.

"Let's get you out of here before that thing comes back." Grimmjow said in hushed tones. He had no idea how they would make it to the common room or anywhere else without being swarmed by orderlies, but he knew they couldn't stay in the west wing.

"Tha thing won' be comin' back fer a while now." Shiro wheezed in a tired laugh. Grimmjow wasn't too sure on that and he could tell Pantera was skeptical as well. Knowing full well he'd rather fight off the depressed and angsty bitch of a ghost rather than deal with doctors and orderlies, Grimmjow half drug, half supported the lightweight ginger to an empty room that was down the hall and around the corner. It put them halfway between the doors that led back to the main part of the complex and the ghost's odd and messy room where the confrontation had gone down.

Sitting Shiro against a wall, Grimmjow took a thin mattress down from where it leaned up against the wall in the corner of the small room. Doing his best to dust it off, he tossed it onto the floor with a subdued thump where it kicked up a flurry of dust causing him to cough. Helping the now weak and tired ginger over to the mattress, he laid the thin and bony man out to rest. Though he had not taken any physical wounds, the depletion to his spiritual strength was obvious to Grimmjow.

He didn't know how he was going to get Ichigo back in control, but he knew he couldn't do a damn thing until Shiro had recovered. So, Grimmjow sat in a corner and watched as the ginger fell fast into a weary sleep.

**...**

**...**

**Yay! So the chapter was a little fast in pace, but I was pleased with the overall result and I hope you all were as well. Things will be heating up soon... *wink, wink nudge, nudge***

**Please let me know what you think or of any ideas you would like to see in the story!**

**~Aurelia**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey! A new chapter already? Yes I am on top of it this time. :P **

**So the requester as well as a couple readers via PM and review, have asked for Grimm-Ichi smut. Now I knew this was coming so I've got something in the works. For now enjoy the plot developments!**_  
_

**...**

**...**

_It was dark, empty… almost comforting. Drifting within the darkness inside his own mind, Ichigo let the simplicity of his solitude caress him like the lapping waves of a lake. He could hardly remember why he was here or what he had been doing prior. It didn't matter. All he cared about was the calm and the strange peace he felt. Even though he was alone, floating in the dark of absolute nothingness, he felt safe, as though he were being watched over._

_ Something to his sanctuary changed and he felt a presence with him. Cool, unseen arms enfolded around him. It seemed odd. Such tenderness from something that he was sure should have been harsh, cruel and hard was out of place. He wasn't quite sure what to think, but again, he didn't care. Nothing could truly bother him in this sightless, soundless void of comfort that he was alone in._

_ "Yer not alone."_

_ The watery voice jolted Ichigo back to a semblance of self and reality. He suddenly remembered everything with crushing clarity. The despair he had felt bore down on him with a ruthlessness that had him wishing for the dark solitude. All the thoughts of his every friend and loved one abandoning him resurfaced with a vengeance as he felt a tingling at his nose and a moist heat behind his eyes. His heart leapt up into his throat and he screamed out in anguish._

_ His ignorant bliss had been shattered and now he struggled with the staggering weight of the depressing thoughts that the ghost had forced him to see. Thoughts and feelings he had buried underneath layers and layers of a cynical façade rushed to the surface bringing a fresh pain with them. He could feel a single tear fall from his welling eyes to grow trapped at the corner of his mouth, causing him to taste his own salty tears. Even with Shiro lingering back in the distance of his mind trying his best to comfort him, Ichigo still felt utterly alone._

_ A warmth abruptly surrounded him. It was hard and stiflingly warm, but he drew comfort from it. Not caring, he surrendered to the warmth and let himself be held close by it. He could hear Shiro sighing heavily from somewhere within the recesses of his mind as the pale twin receded farther away from his consciousness, but not before he called out in his fading, watery tones._

_ "I told ya tha' ya weren't alone, ya fuckin' drama queen."_

**…**

**…**

Eyes fluttering open like frenzied butterflies, Ichigo blearily forced himself to wake up. His brow scrunched as he tried to squint against the light that shone on white walls. He felt comfortably warm and wasn't sure why. Trying to see where he was, he rolled his head to the side and came nose to nose with a face he never expected to see.

Fierce azure orbs stared into his warm, chocolate brown eyes that widened in complete shock. Frozen, he lay there suddenly and uncomfortably aware of just how close their bodies were. He felt his breath still as though someone had their hand round his throat. Grimmjow's face that had been empty of emotion seconds before broke into a large crooked smirk that sent Ichigo reeling.

"Mornin' princess!" Grimmjow said with a wicked joviality.

Scrambling out from under the heavily muscled man's arm, Ichigo sat bolt upright and scoot back on his rear to plant his back into the wall. Panting heavily, his breath restored, he tried to make sense of everything.

"Well that certainly wasn't the reaction I was hoping for but it was the one I expected…" Grimmjow muttered wryly. Ichigo sat back pressed tightly against the wall, still feeling a touch shell shocked, his chest heaving in ire.

"What the fuck happened? Why were we…?" Ichigo trailed off and Grimmjow laughed heartily at Ichigo's utterly dumbstruck expression. Shaking his head he rolled over and stood up, dusting off his baby blue scrubs that almost mirrored his hair color.

"Shiro took control and kicked the ghost's ass. He pretty much drained himself doing it too, so I had to find a place for him to rest. I couldn't very well take you back to the main part of the hospital with your eyes all black and gold like that." He shrugged as he explained with a blasé manner. Ichigo looked around for the first time since waking to realize that they were indeed still in the west wing. Listening for a second in his mind he was a little disturbed to find Shiro silent. He thought the lack of his inner twin's presence might have been a joyous occasion but all he felt was a twinge of worry. Turning back to Grimmjow, Ichigo let another question fall from his slightly dry and chapping lips.

"But why were you…" Ichigo couldn't even finish his sentence before he choked on his words from embarrassment as another blush blossomed in his cheeks. Grimmjow smirked and chuckled silently as Ichigo's reaction.

"A while after Shiro passed out, you started shivering violently and jerking in your sleep. I figured you were cold and you were so I used my body heat to warm you up." Grimmjow was so calm and matter of fact about everything that Ichigo felt a little stupid for freaking out like he had.

"Ah." Was all he could muster for a reply. He didn't mind Grimmjow lying next to him, in fact he really liked it, he was just so flighty. He wasn't really one for a lot of physical affection as he never received much after his mother died. His dad wasn't one for hugs and while Yuzu and Karin had a great relationship with their older brother, it wasn't a hug type of relationship either. Clearing his throat he asked how long he had been out.

"Eh, about three hours." He said nonchalantly, though Ichigo could tell by the twitch to the bluenette's brow that he wasn't feeling as nonchalant as he sounded. Two hours… why hadn't there been some sort of search party for them yet? Taking a deep breath, Ichigo stood on slightly unstable legs as he braced against the wall for a moment to regain his balance. Taking the hand Grimmjow offered, Ichigo stepped off of the squishy mattress.

"Then we really should get back." Ichigo said. Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the obvious statement. Stepping out of the little room Ichigo took the lead while Grimmjow fell in behind him, keeping watch for the ghost.

"Why the fuck, were you even in here ginger?" The bluenette asked in a surly tone. Ichigo recalled the ghost's face in the door's window and how the door had become unlocked and stood ajar. Recounting the experience to Grimmjow, he walked on through the deserted hall towards the double doors that led back into the main wings of the hospital. He left out the bit about how the ghost had fucked with his head, causing him to become lost in depression and without hope. It was too embarrassing.

"Ya know how they say curiosity is a sign of intelligence? Well not in your case. That was stupid berry, just plain fucking stupid." Grimmjow growled. Ichigo hunched his shoulders at the bluenette's tone but continued on. Grimmjow was right though; it had been a stupid idea.

They reached the double doors and were relieved to find them unlocked. Grimmjow opened the door and ushered Ichigo through. Stepping into the main halls, they walked swiftly towards the common room, doing their best to avoid notice as they entered. Stepping into the common room, they found most of the patient's being ushered out the southern doors that led into the cafeteria.

Something didn't seem right. It should have been about one thirty in the afternoon, so why were the patients being taken to the cafeteria? Was there something special going on? Glancing up at a clock that had been bolted to the white painted brick wall, Ichigo was stunned to see the clock read fifteen past noon. Grimmjow appeared to catch on as well, muttering a bewildered "what the fuck".

Frantically Ichigo tried to work things out in his head. He and Grimmjow had gotten breakfast late as they were the last to be retrieved since they had been restrained the night before. When the orderly came and got him for his session it had been about twenty minutes past ten. The session was over at eleven and then he had been enticed into the west wing where he had been rendered unconscious for three hours. By all rights it didn't make any fucking sense.

"Either something's really wrong or I truly am not fucking nuts." Ichigo muttered. Grimmjow took a breath to respond, but at that moment an orderly came to collect them for lunch.

"How was your session, Ichigo?" The raven haired, female orderly asked with a cheery smile. Ichigo stuttered for a reply.

"Ah, uhm… good." He said. The orderly smiled and exclaimed that he was making progress. Turning her wide dark eyes on Grimmjow she asked if his nap had been nice. Grimmjow's face went slack as he walked along with her towing him by the hand. The orderly giggled and said that he still looked a little sleepy.

With minimal fuss or care on Grimmjow and Ichigo's parts, they were served food and sat together at a table. Neither man touched their food as they tried to make heads or tails of the situation. By all rights, it should have been after two in the afternoon, yet here they were, sitting eating lunch a little after twelve.

"Yep." Grimmjow said quietly. "It is official. Something is wacky here." Ichigo turned to Grimmjow and asked how he knew.

"Because we both can't be crazy enough to imagine this at the exact same time. The only other explanation is that some sort of hoodoo is going on." Grimmjow nodded simply as he smirked and took up his fork and began wolfing down his food without even looking to see what it was.

"Uhmm…" Ichigo piped up. "You realize we are both in a mental hospital. Neither of us have any credibility with the whole sanity thing. How do I know that you're even real?" Without looking up from his food, Grimmjow reached his empty hand out and pinched Ichigo's rear with painful ferocity.

Ichigo jumped and let out a strangled squeak of pain as he did his damndest to keep himself from punching the volatile bluenette. Turning to Grimmjow he whispered heatedly.

"The fuck! What was that for! Watch where you put your damn hands!" He hissed between clenched teeth. He could feel the muscle of his accosted cheek throbbing dully with pain. Grimmjow snorted a laugh and put his fork down. Turning his head he stared Ichigo in the eye.

"Does it hurt?" He asked simply.

"Well duh!" Ichigo said snappishly. Grimmjow smiled wide, again showing off his pearl white and overly sharp teeth.

"I'm real. I can touch you, hurt you, and leave marks. Do not ever doubt my existence again. I've worked too hard at this life for you to discredit it all as a figment of your imagination." Ichigo watched as the man turned back to his food. What he had said made sense. Sighing, he picked up his own plastic fork and looked down at what they were serving today. It was a barely recognizable attempt at lasagna. Following Grimmjow's lead, he began to devour the food without tasting it.

"Oh…" Grimmjow continued. "And I do watch exactly where I put my hands." The velvety tone of his voice made a shiver of delight run the length of Ichigo's spine. His hand stilled above his plate as he began to shale slightly. The connotation behind Grimmjow's words was quite obvious, even to Ichigo. Clearing his throat, he tried to resume eating with some form of dignity and calm.

With a light clatter, Grimmjow dropped his fork onto the now empty plastic plate and pushed himself back from the table. Collecting his tray and dirty dishes, he gave Ichigo a mischievous smile before he turned to leave.

"See ya in the common room then, ginger." Ichigo watched him as the statuesque, blue haired man left the room under the watchful eyes of the orderlies. He found that his gaze became riveted on Grimmjow's ass in a daydream like stare.

_"Down King." _The snide echoing voice startled the daydream right out of Ichigo's mind as it began to fill with the lilting, watery chuckles of Shiro. Sighing, Ichigo picked up his fork and tried his best to finish his lunch. He had grown horribly thin in the time he had been here and Grimmjow was right; he needed to eat and gain his strength back.

_Shut up. You drool over his ass too so don't act like you don't. _

Ichigo snapped without any true venom to his tone. Shiro only laughed madly in response. Ignoring the chattering madman in his mind, Ichigo nigh inhaled his food and gulped down whatever they had given him to drink. He really didn't care what it was, all he really cared about was getting back into the common room and attempting to sort out what hell was going on with his new partner in crime.

Walking briskly, he meandered into the common room to find Grimmjow sitting in the chair he himself usually occupied staring out the window that he had frequently stared out of. Grimmjow turned to Ichigo and gave him a nod before the orangette actually reached him. Sitting in the chair opposite to him, Ichigo watched Grimmjow turn his attention back to the window and saw that he was staring at the ivy covered wall he had frequently gazed upon. Biting his lip in contemplation, Ichigo tried to think of an explanation as to their strange inconsistency in time.

He could feel and see Shiro in his mind's eye shrugging to indicate he hadn't a clue. It was baffling and a touch disturbing that they had lost their sense of time like that and if it wasn't them or all in their heads, what caused it? Before he could open his mouth to even ask Grimmjow, the bluenette spoke up in quiet tones, his eyes still distantly focused on the wall.

"I think it has something to do with the ghost. I'm not sure what but it is the only thing I can think of." Grimmjow curled his upper lip as he contemplated something, or conversed with Pantera, Ichigo didn't know which.

"I've never seen ghosts with that kind of power." Ichigo said, furrowing his brows as he tried to rack his mind for a supernatural conclusion. No matter what he came up with, none of it made sense, unless it wasn't the doing of something ghostly.

"Neither have I." Grimmjow said in an almost grunt. They were both highly dissatisfied that they had no theories let alone any answers. Ichigo heaved a sigh a put a voice to his concerns.

"What if it wasn't the ghost? What if it was something… else?" He asked, unable to make himself really say that he was considering something supernatural that wasn't a ghost.

"Ya mean like a demon?" Grimmjow asked with a little skepticism before pausing to consider it. Why not? They could both see ghosts and had separate entities living in their crazy grapefruits, so why not push the envelope and go as far as demons.

"Nah." The bluenette said, dismissing the idea. "Demons always have an ulterior motive to what they do and I can't think of a reason as to why one would be interested in us. Though what I want to know is why the ghost invited you into a trap; it has never wanted anything to do with me but it wanted to fuck you up, that's for sure." Ichigo paused in his thoughts for a moment to realize that the ghost hadn't actually attacked him.

Now that he thought on it, all the ghost did was speak to him and he had felt that soul crushing depression. Nothing in the ghost's posture even hinted at aggression. It wasn't until Shiro took control and displayed a disposition for violence that the ghost attacked and even then it was more of a restraining tackle. Then there was the fact that the ghost had touched him. Whether it had something to do with Shiro, a supernatural entity being in the driver's seat or because the ghost was quite powerful, Ichigo didn't know. He thought about bringing these points up to Grimmjow but another thought snagged the spotlight.

"Wait. Demons are real? How do you know this?" Ichigo whispered, an incredulous look on his face. Grimmjow chuckled and shook his head. Turning his gaze from the window to the orangette, he cocked a brow and spoke.

"Yep. They're real enough, trust me." The finality in Grimmjow's tone told Ichigo to not ask further on the subject, so he didn't.

That didn't keep the curiosity from eating him alive though. What did Grimmjow know about demons and how did he gain that knowledge? Had the enigmatic bluenette come into contact with demons? He had mentioned a poltergeist but that was a far cry from a demon. Suddenly, Grimmjow spoke up, startling Ichigo from his quiet contemplation.

"Hey ginger? Do you like to read?" The question was so random and caught Ichigo off guard that he stuttered unintentionally in an answer.

"Yeah, I-I guess so." Ichigo wanted to face palm for his flighty manner. He couldn't help it around the bluenette. Something about the tanned, well muscled man made his heart skip beats and his stomach roil with frenzied butterflies while his veins writhed under his skin with untamed adrenaline and excitement.

"_S'called luv, King." _Shiro said with a wry laugh. Ichigo merely walled the psychotic, inverted version of himself away and refused to acknowledge him. He had enough trouble getting by day to day and Shiro only seemed to enjoy making it worse by providing snide commentary on every little aspect of his life. Returning his attention to Grimmjow, he found the bluenette standing and beckoning for him to follow. Hastily, Ichigo stood up from his chair and followed the bluenette out of the common room.

Watching with shifty eyes, Ichigo saw a few orderlies track their movements but made no move to stop them. Following Grimmjow out into the halls, Ichigo traipsed along behind the tall blue haired man that led the way. Stopping at a small room, Grimmjow disappeared inside. Poking his head in, Ichigo realized that it was Grimmjow's room. Unlike Ichigo's room, Grimmjow's sported personal belongings.

A single painting of a strange landscape with black skies, white sands and odd skeletal trees with a lone, indistinguishable figure adorned the white wall above the head of his bed. Ichigo was surprised to find several stacks of books about the room. While he knew Grimmjow to be intelligent and wily, he had never thought the man to be book smart as well. It just didn't seem to fit with his angry, rough, tough and badass nature, though Ichigo tried hard to not judge by appearances.

Picking up a book, Ichigo read the title; An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness. Setting it back down, he scanned the visible covers of other books. He saw titles like Siddhartha, Man's Search for Meaning, Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu and The Interpretation of Dreams by Freud. Philosophy and psychology; not really light reading. Ichigo felt like he was looking at a completely different person from the short tempered, quick to fight man he had come to know in such a short amount of time.

Grimmjow smirked at Ichigo's obvious confusion and bent to pick up a single book from a pile beside his bed. Handing it to Ichigo, the orangette took it and glanced at the cover; A Compendium of the Supernatural. Quirking an orange brow, Ichigo gave Grimmjow a wry look to which he simply shook with a silent laugh.

"Read up on it. Can't hurt for you to know more about what it is you see." Holding the rather large hardback in his hands, Ichigo rolled his eyes but acquiesced; the man was right, it wouldn't hurt. Looking about the room at all the books, Ichigo asked a question that had been hovering on the tip of his tongue.

"So… do you really read all of these?" He didn't mean to sound as skeptical as he did, but Grimmjow didn't seem to care one way or the other, as though he expected the reaction.

"All men by nature desire to know." Grimmjow said with his typical crooked smirk. Ichigo couldn't help but smile at the Aristotle quote. The man was much more than he seemed, despite how well he hid it.

"So how did you even get all of these?" Ichigo asked, taking the liberty to sit on the foot of Grimmjow's bed.

"I asked for them." The bluenette said simply. Ichigo found it hard to believe that the doctors or the orderlies would just give him these books to read, especially being a mental patient and all. Grimmjow sighed and took a seat on a large stack of hardbacks across from Ichigo, their knees almost touching due to the cramped quarters they were in, thanks to all the books.

"The doctor I have my sessions with is the director of Cliff Point. He is… well he is a fucking mad scientist; there is no other way to put it. He considers everyone, even himself, a subject to experiment on. He's a pretty busy man, so our sessions are far and few in between but when we do have them they are in his office." Grimmjow sat tall for a moment and arched his back in a feline like stretch before continuing with a rough clearing of his throat.

"His office is more like a library-part-laboratory than an office really. When I showed an interest in his books, he let me take one to read. I chose a philosophy book which must have intrigued him, so it just wound up happening that I would be given his books to read and eventually he even brought books in from the outside to give to me. It's all part of some test, though he won't admit it and I don't really care to find out what it is." Ichigo sat and remembered seeing the director for the first time.

The man was shock white, with sunken, golden eyes that were ringed by black circles like he never slept which gave him an awfully skeletal appearance. He had skeletal hands with long fingernails and he always bared his teeth in a semblance of a perpetual grin. The dude was certainly creepy, that was for sure; always dressed in a long white lab coat and an odd purple scarf with unkempt, short, dark blue hair that he suspected was dyed. How a man got to look so eccentric and be put in charge of a place like Cliff Point was beyond Ichigo.

Sitting and listening to Grimmjow tell him about the doctor who held his sessions; Ichigo got the feeling that the bluenette wasn't telling him everything. If the director was anything like Dr. Granz, Ichigo truly felt Grimmjow's pain. He wanted to ask more about it, but again he received the feeling that the question wouldn't be welcome.

Looking up from the book in his lap, Ichigo's warm brown eyes locked with swirling cyan. Grimmjow watched him with the look of a hungry predator that made something stir deep within him. Suddenly very aware of their touching knees and the fact that he was sitting on Grimmjow's bed, Ichigo felt his breath quicken as they sat stone still staring deep into one another's eyes. Something very primal and feral lurked in the depths of Grimmjow's eyes and Ichigo felt himself wanting to press his lips to those sinfully sweet lips that were only a foot away.

Everything melted away around him. Nothing mattered anymore because there was only the two of them. They could have been in the midst of a crowd and not have noticed anyone around them. The temperature in the room spiraled as Ichigo felt his lips part in a hunger he had never known before, his warm breath ghosting across his desert dry lips. His muscles tensed as he thought about leaning in and just kissing the blue haired beast of a man in front of him.

In a flash of movement, a gasp of surprise and a moan of utter satisfaction, Grimmjow had swept in and pressed his petal soft lips to Ichigo's trembling cracked ones. A strong hand lashed out and firmly gripped the back of Ichigo's head; fingers curling in his shaggy orange locks. A warm, wet tongue forced its way into Ichigo's mouth with little resistance as her felt a muscular arm encircle him and yard him closer in a rush of heated moans as Grimmjow's tongue swept every corner of Ichigo's mouth.

His world turned upside down and inside out as he suddenly found himself on his back on Grimmjow's bed as the bluenette knelt over the top of him between Ichigo's legs. The room felt stifling as an insistent hand slid up beneath his thin shirt like caressing serpent that explored the landscape of his torso. On pure instinct, Ichigo's lifted his hips and ground himself against the fiery man above him, eliciting a growling moan that rumbled up from deep within the bluenette's chest.

Then, in a cruel and world shattering moment, Ichigo found himself alone on the bed. A hand grasped his wrist and jerked him back up into a sitting position. Opening eyes he hadn't realized he had closed, Ichigo found Grimmjow sitting back on his pile of books with a worn paperback in his hands. Unsure of what was happening, a little voice in his head told him to get it together as the sound of footsteps in the hall registered in his mind.

Seconds after he had been so passionately wrapped up in an embrace with Grimmjow, an orderly poked their smiling head into the room. It was the petite, raven haired orderly from earlier with eyes that reminded Ichigo of a porcelain doll.

"How are you guys doing in here?" She asked in a very suspicious yet commanding tone that Ichigo could only describe as the "mom" voice. Stepping into the room, skillfully avoiding piles of books the tiny orderly, smiled an empty smile as she reprimanded them.

"Now you know we don't allow patients to congregate in other patient's bedrooms." Stepping up to Ichigo, her tiny, slender hands grasped his wrist in an icy grip. Smiling a pleasant smile that held no true mirth, she tugged Ichigo from the room, saying that he would be much more comfortable in his chair in the common room.

Over the months, the orderlies had grown very used to seeing Ichigo in the chair in front of the window. It seemed they weren't too used to him getting up and walking about. It had only been a day since his desire to fight and live his life had been rekindled and the change was certainly not missed by the orderlies or Dr. Granz.

After the orderly had dropped him off in the common room she turned to see Grimmjow following. Another painted smile crossed her lips and her eyes lit up with a merciless and pitiless light as her eyes fell on him. Ichigo saw Grimmjow almost visibly stiffen at the orderly's wretched smile, his lip curling in a challenging sneer as though he knew what was coming.

"Oh good." She exclaimed. "Grimmjow the director actually requested to see you. He wants to talk to you about the fight yesterday." Ichigo didn't see a hint of fear on the defiant bluenette's face but he could see the distaste and stubborn resentment plain as day. Watching helplessly, Ichigo stood dumbly as the orderly whisked Grimmjow off to take him to the director's office.

**…**

**…**

He knew this had been coming. Every time he had got into a fight, the director wanted to "examine his psyche". Even though he had been expecting this, it didn't diminish his loathing or his desire to avoid the visit. The director was a brilliant man and could make Grimmjow's life in this place much easier, but he required Grimmjow's subservience for that to happen. The blue haired scrapper would never give in; he'd rather endure the director's cruelty.

Taking deep breaths, he refused to show any pain. Showing no fear wasn't a problem as Grimmjow didn't fear the man. The cold metal table underneath him felt like ice against his bare skinned back. His shirt had been removed and he had been restrained to an examination table with reinforced leather straps. The director had found out during their first session that the nylon tie downs broke too easily.

Setting his face in an impassive scowl that he would force to remain there for the next two hours of their session, Grimmjow could feel Pantera pacing like a caged animal. Even though Pantera wasn't restrained, having his vessel restrained was tantamount to tying the spectral panther down as well for he made most of his actions through Grimmjow.

A mad looking director loomed over him with a manic smile as he held a strange metallic device that he had made himself. Grimmjow knew the item was charged with low amounts of electricity that hurt nonetheless. The weird device looked like a strange metal three legged spider with metal knobs at the ends of the legs and an insulated handle coming out of the back. It was the director's own form of shock therapy; a practice that was supposed to be no longer allowed.

Tensing his muscles involuntarily, he watched as the item descended towards his abdomen slowly. The cold metal touched his skin lightly and his every thought flew out of his mind in a rush of sizzling pain as his breath caught in his throat. His every muscle went rigid as his eyes widened. His whole body was wracked with spasms as he jerked against his restraints.

As though intrigued by the reaction he received, the director pressed the device harder to Grimmjow's chest, causing more electricity to be forced into the already twitching man's body. Grimmjow bit down hard and the mouth guard that served more as a gag to keep him from biting his own tongue in an effort to keep from making any noise of pain. He wouldn't give the sick man the pleasure. When no noise was extracted from him, the director began moving the device in erratic patterns across Grimmjow's abdomen whilst increasing the pressure.

Unable to take it any longer, Grimmjow let out a bellowing scream of pain as his eyes bulged and his body flopped uncontrollably against his restraints. His back arched off the table in a compulsory reaction to the pain, thus causing the pressure of the device to increase even more. Trembling all over, the scream continued to rip its way from his throat as his eyes rolled back into his head, his every fiber burning with unsurpassed pain.

With a bored expression the director finally released the device and watched as Grimmjow's sweat slicked torso fell back to the metal table. Every bit of air was forced from the bluenette's lungs with a grunt as he hit the table. His mouth was slack and his vision blurred in and out of focus. He wasn't truly there in that moment. He had locked his pride and his self into a private little box in his mind. It was a place where no one but he could reach and it was what kept him alive and sane.

When Grimmjow didn't draw another breath in, a sharp pain hit his cheek and wrenched his head aside with the force and momentum of the blow. The director's slap caused Grimmjow to draw a shuddering breath, leaving him wheezing weakly.

"Hmmm…" The director contemplated. Turning the device off, he set it aside and set to taking notes with a voice recorder. "Subject seems… softer; almost weak. Not the usual profanity or screaming. I wonder if the changes are a result of the companionship he has found in the Kurosaki patient." Grimmjow stiffened at the mention of the ginger.

"I may have to include patient Kurosaki in my next round of tests. For now, I will need to complete my routine tests on patient Jeagerjaques in an effort to entice his alternate personality out for an examination." Grimmjow panted harshly, his breaths returning to him though they were still uneven. He knew the whole point of this torture was to get him angry enough that he forced Pantera into control, but he and Pantera would not allow that to happen; nor would he allow this torture to be performed on Ichigo. They had to escape and fucking soon.

He watched as the director picked up the device again. Staring at Grimmjow with a critical eye, the director turned and grabbed a wet wash sponge with his other hand and began wetting the restrained Grimmjow's torso down. A slight panic rose in Grimmjow chest as he watched the director fiddle with the settings on the device. A little light went from green to yellow and there was a menacing hum that began to emit from the gadget. They hadn't hit stage two during their sessions for some time now and Grimmjow almost groaned in dread, but he set his jaw and scowled around the mouth guard; he was unwilling to give in to the crazed man.

"Now let's see how the subject handles stage two."

**...**

**...**

**What a nasty doctor to have. :/ **

**Also, yes I am a tease of a writer when it comes to smut. I promise though that there will be some action in our two boys' future. I must confess I have never truly written yaoi before so bear with me on this. Hopefully I won't fail horribly. If I do fail though, hopefully I won't be chased by an angry mob. :P**

**Well thank you for reading and I pray it was an enjoyable chapter!**

**~Aurelia**


	6. Chapter 5

**Yay! Another chapter on time! I am ashamed to admit though that the next chapter may take a little longer due to my responsibilities in the "real world". :P **

**So, without any further comments from myself, enjoy the chapter. ^_^**

**...**

**...**

Ichigo lay in his bed looking up at the white ceiling. It was only a little after eight in the evening, but the patient's were sent to bed early. Usually Ichigo didn't even think of sleep till ten but the orderlies had a life too. They lived here as well, with their quarters and facilities in the east wing while the patients stayed in the main complex. Sighing deeply, Ichigo tapped his foot impatiently.

_"Fuckin' relax already will ya, King?" _Shiro nearly whined. Ichigo's restlessness was making Shiro pace in his mind.

Ichigo had been like this ever since Grimmjow had gone to his appointment with director Kurotsuchi at about one thirty in the afternoon. When Grimmjow didn't reappear in the common room after a few hours, Ichigo grew worried. He took it upon himself to find his way back to Grimmjow's room, but when he got there the door was closed. He had knocked on the door several times and even called out to Grimmjow but no one answered even though Ichigo had a gut feeling the man was in there. He still didn't want to barge in on Grimmjow though, despite knowing full well the doors didn't lock.

That had been around four. Ichigo sat through dinner and barely ate because he was so distracted with worry for his friend. He had noticed an orderly carry a try laden with food out and down the hall to eventually come back with it only half emptied. He imagined it had been for Grimmjow but he had no proof.

After he had tired of trying to force himself to eat, Ichigo eventually sat down in his chair again, but instead of staring out at the wall he watched the doorway that led from the dormitory hall into the common room. For a couple hours he waited and watched for Grimmjow, but the man never appeared. An orderly ushered him off to bed and here he was, waiting for morning to see if Grimmjow would make an appearance. The wait was infuriating.

"_Seriously King, jus' go ta 'is room an' let yerself in. Yer gonna go fuckin' stir crazy layin' there twitchin' like that an' yer gonna make me lose it if'n ya don' fuckin' stop worryin' bout tha' man."_ Shiro did sound like he was nearing the end of what little patience he possessed.

If only it were that simple. He wouldn't be able to sneak through the halls from his room to Grimmjow's without one of the night watch orderlies spotting him. Besides, what if Grimmjow didn't want anyone around? What if the man wanted to be alone?

"_It don' FUCKIN' matter!" _Shiro yelled. _"I'm sure if you holed yerself up in yer room like tha', tha' man'd come bargin' in 'ere like he owned the place." _Ichigo nodded to Shiro's assessment. His inverted twin had a point. It had only been a day and Ichigo already felt himself utterly attached to the strange, blue haired man. A tingling shiver ran up and down his spine as he remembered their passionate kiss from earlier. Shiro hummed in approval as he recalled it as well.

_Fine. I'll go._

Sitting up, he threw his legs over the edge of his bed and slipped on the lace-less, loafer-like shoes onto his bare feet. Dressed in the spare set of scrubs the hospital had given him as pajamas, Ichigo crept across his small room and let his hand fall on the cold metal of the door knob. Silently he turned the knob and slowly pulled the door inward enough to peer out into the hallway with one eye. Seeing the way to his right was clear he opened the door enough to poke his head out and saw that the dimly lit hallway was completely deserted.

He was about to step into the hall when an idea from Shiro hit him. He would be quieter without his shoes. As much as the idea of walking around the place barefoot grossed him out, he still silently kicked out of his shoes. He paused for a moment, thinking about putting socks on, but forgot about it realizing how slick that would be on the tile floors. Slipping as quiet as shadow into the dimly lit hall, he let his door close behind him with a soft click.

Looking both ways and listening for the sounds of footsteps, Ichigo took off in a crouching prowl down the hall, his bare feet making hardly any noise as he went. Upon reaching the corner he stopped to peer around it. He saw the common room's double doors had been closed and that it was empty. Dashing across the short entry hall in front of the common room, he snuck a glance down the hall that led to Grimmjow's room. He watched as an orderly rounded the corner at the far end of the hall to head towards the eastern hallway where Ichigo's room was.

Stealthily he rounded the corner and continued in his crouching run towards Grimmjow's room. Upon reaching the bluenette's door, he put his hand to the door knob and turned it silently and let himself in with a whisper.

"Grimmjow? It's me, Ichigo." He shut the door silently behind him and let his eyes adjust to the darkness in the room. Hardly able to see much, as Grimmjow's room didn't have the same tiny window Ichigo's had, he stepped carefully to avoid hitting any stacks of books. His eyes fell upon the bed to find it made and empty.

Ichigo felt his heart sink and an even stronger worry settle in him. If Grimmjow wasn't here the only other place Ichigo could think to look would be the infirmary where the nurse stations were. It had been where they had first met and Ichigo knew there was no way in hell he'd make it there without getting caught.

Feeling a little depressed, he flopped down onto Grimmjow's bed and curled up in to a ball, his face buried in the pillow. It smelled good; it was Grimmjow's scent that reminded him of vanilla and something more… musky, like sandalwood. He felt a little like a creepy stalker, but he didn't give a shit at that moment. His only friend in this place was missing and he felt his loneliness settling over him like a weight on his chest. He lay there for a moment before he finally roused himself to head back to his room as he couldn't stay here all night; no matter how good it smelled.

Standing there in the darkness, Ichigo was about to take a step when he heard shuffling footsteps in the hall. He froze like a deer in the headlights of an onrushing semi truck as he waited for them to pass by, but to his horror they stopped at the door. Hearing a hand fall on the door knob, Ichigo hit the floor with astonishing speed and silence as he wormed his way under the bed to press his back against the wall the bed was pushed to.

The door opened and there was a shuffling of bodies. Ichigo saw two feet draw nearer to the bed and he almost stopped breathing all together. Recognizing one set of shoes as a patient's and the other as an orderly's he realized someone was bringing Grimmjow back to his room. Grimmjow fell heavily to sit on the bed. The orderly knelt by the bed and Ichigo's eyes almost fell out of his head in fear before he realized that they were just helping Grimmjow take his shoes off.

Without any words being exchanged, the orderly then left the room, shutting the door behind them. Ichigo lay still under the bed not moving a single damn muscle as he panicked over what to do now that he was trapped under Grimmjow's bed with the man sitting above him.

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, oh FUCK!_

"_Calm down King!" _Shiro said in his mind. Ichigo tried his best to calm down but he couldn't. If Grimmjow found him, the man would probably think him a freak and go off on him. It was highly likely that the man would never want anything further to do with Ichigo; who wouldn't want to steer clear of someone they had just met after finding them under their bed like some perverted creep.

Grimmjow shifted above him and Ichigo saw the man's feet disappear as he laid out on the bed above him. Ichigo listened to the bluenette's slightly shallow breaths that sounded a touch labored. Trying his best to calm down, Ichigo devised a plan. As soon as he determined Grimmjow to be asleep he would army crawl his ass out of there and fucking book it back to his own room. While not a perfect plan, it was the only one he had.

"Ya going to stay down there all night or are you going drag your ass out from under there?" Grimmjow's voice was hoarse but it was still full of its usual swagger. Ichigo felt his heart stop for a moment as he realized in one sickening moment that Grimmjow knew he was there. Unable to make himself move, Ichigo lay paralyzed on the cold tile floor under the bluenette's bed.

"I can fucking smell you ginger." Grimmjow said in a blasé tone.

There was a shuffling of movement and a grunt of effort when suddenly Grimmjow's face poked down, staring at Ichigo from over the edge of the bed. The man had a crooked smirk on his lips as per normal. Ichigo stared wide eyed at the upside down face, haloed by a mess of baby blue locks.

"Get out here before I drag you out from under there." Grimmjow disappeared and Ichigo scrambled to weasel his way out from under the small bed. He stood up quickly and dusted himself off, refusing to look at the bluenette when a sudden head rush came over him. He locked his legs and swayed a little till a hand shot out and grabbed his hip and steadied him. Blushing, Ichigo recovered from his head rush and stepped back in a panic.

"Calm the hell down." Grimmjow said, his voice gruffer than it normally was, as though he had been yelling a lot. Ichigo looked at the bluenette and saw the man looked incredibly haggard and sporadically trembled. His face bore his signature smirk, but his eyes held no humor. He was angry. Ichigo found himself spilling his guts in a half whisper, hoping that Grimmjow would believe him.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay so I thought I'd sneak out of my room and check on you but when I got here you weren't here and I was just about to leave when I heard footsteps in the hall so I waited thinking it was an orderly on patrol but then they stopped in front of your door and I panicked cause I didn't know who it was so I did the only thing I could do and that was hide under your bed but then the orderly brought you in and I panicked because I didn't want you to think I was some pervy freak so I figured I'd wait till you fell asleep and then I'd just let myself out but I swear I wasn't trying to pull anything weird or gross or anything like that-" Ichigo managed to get it all out in breath before Grimmjow stopped him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… slow your roll berry. It's alright. I ain't mad." Grimmjow gave a dry smile and shook his head in an exasperated sort of way as he hunched on the edge of his bed as though his stomach were in pain.

"If anything ginger, I'm glad that you're here. We got escape plans to discuss." There was a gritty determination in his rough baritone that sobered Ichigo up instantly. Drawing nearer to the bluenette, Ichigo eyed him suspiciously.

"What's wrong Grimmjow? Are you hurt?" He asked with a seriousness to his voice. Grimmjow shook his head and waved a hand at Ichigo in a gesture to forget it. Unwilling to let it go since the man obviously looked to be in pain, Ichigo questioned him again.

"Grimmjow, what happened? I may not be able to feel your aura or have inhuman senses, but I can see that your hurt by your posture and your expression. Now please tell me; what happened?" Ichigo threw the please in, not wanting to aggravate the man, but he was dead set on getting to the bottom of why the bluenette had been gone all those hours and was only just now getting back.

Sighing, Grimmjow growled aggressively but stood up on shaky legs whilst balancing himself with a hand against the wall. With his other hand, he drew up his shirt to reveal his incredibly drool worthy abs, but what drew Ichigo's attention were the crisscross patterns of red lines all over his abdomen that looked like burns. While they didn't look to be too bad, they still looked painful.

"The hell!" Ichigo cried out in a hushed voice, not wanting to draw the attention of any nearby orderlies. He stepped in close and examined the man's torso. Without touching it, he could tell that he had been icing it simply by the chill his skin exuded. Stepping back, Ichigo watched as Grimmjow let his shirt fall back down, grimacing as the material brushed against the burns.

"The director still believes in the whole electroshock therapy trick. He is convinced that if he tortures me enough he'll get to see my so called "alternate personality"… what a load of shit…" Grimmjow grumbled hoarsely. Ichigo wanted to do anything to help his only friend and his advice flew from his lips before he could snatch it back.

"Well you would probably be more comfortable with cool air on those burns and if your shirt didn't keep making contact with them." The instant he said it he realized he had told the man to take his shirt off. Feeling like he had said the wrong thing, Ichigo was about to panic and start another explanatory apology to prove he wasn't some pervert, but Grimmjow merely grunted in agreement and carefully pulled his shirt over his head. Suddenly, Ichigo felt the heat rise in his face at the sight of the other man's bare chest. Shifting nervously, he cleared his throat and looked away. Giving a hoarse laugh of wry amusement, Grimmjow stepped forward.

**…**

**…**

He was tired, in pain and very sexually frustrated. Then there was the ginger; here… alone with him in his room at night, with the orderlies thinking he was in bed fast asleep. If there was a better outlet, Grimmjow didn't know of one. It was obvious the orangette was into him, and Grimmjow was certainly more than willing to be more than simple friends with the younger man. He liked the ginger, but he refused to label it with that ridiculous "L" word. It wasn't his style to get all mushy like that.

Standing stone still in front of the berry, he let his eyes taking the young man in from head to toe. His lightweight scrub pants rode low on his slim and slightly boney hips, and Grimmjow could see the faint outline of his cock. Ichigo had grown thin, but it hadn't diminished his looks. The shirt hung loosely from his frame off of his shoulders.

Grimmjow wanted to tear the clothes off the fiery haired man with all haste, but instead he stepped in close and stood mere inches from Ichigo. He liked the way his orange hair had grown longer and how his chocolate brown eyes were so full of intelligence and a hint of fight. Everything about the younger man intrigued him and drew him in.

He lifted a strong, callused hand and let it settle on the ginger's hip while the other snuck underneath Ichigo's shirt to slide up the warm skin of his back. A soft breath hitched in Ichigo's throat at the touch as his eyes grew heavy lidded. The younger man's lips parted as he let out his breath in a gentle sigh, leaning closer, but careful not to press himself against Grimmjow's tanned and wounded chest.

Grimmjow brought his hand back around to the front and let run along the lines of the ginger's chest, tracing the fading lines of muscles and feeling the faint ridges of ribs. Smirking to himself, Grimmjow brought his lips to Ichigo's ear to gently nibble on his soft earlobe. He would make sure the young man was restored to his previous physical state before long between ensuring that he ate and got _plenty _of exercise.

Ichigo moaned lightly in pleasure at Grimmjow's ministrations before he let out a breathy little whisper that Grimmjow wouldn't' have heard unless he had been up close like he was.

"Kiss me?" The whisper came out as a question as though he weren't entirely sure of what he was saying. Letting a wicked grin grace his lips, Grimmjow gladly fulfilled the request. Pressing his lips to Ichigo's slightly chapped, full ones, he could feel himself filling with an un-sated hunger that had dwelled within him for too long. He was a man of great appetite but he had a feeling the ginger would be able to satiate it for him tonight.

Greedily, he drank in Ichigo's complex flavor as they kissed with heated passion. If Ichigo had been a drink, Grimmjow knew he would be a shameless alcoholic, constantly filling his glass to the brim with the ginger. This was only the second time they had kissed but Grimmjow was hooked.

With swift, practiced movements, Grimmjow had Ichigo's shirt off and carelessly tossed it onto a random stack of books. He drank in the sight of Ichigo and ensnared the younger man in another drugging kiss that burned like a good whiskey. He felt the heat settle in his gut and spread throughout his body as he crushed his hips to Ichigo's. The ginger moaned into their kiss and Grimmjow swallowed the sound with his ravenous tongue as it tangled with Ichigo's.

He grunted with surprise and delight when Ichigo brought his hand up to Grimmjow's already stiffening member to rub it teasingly through the thin material of his pants. In no time at all, Grimmjow was hard in Ichigo's kneading hand and grinding against the younger man's hard erection. Before he could even stop himself, Grimmjow had spun the two of them about and had pushed Ichigo onto the bed. The surprised berry let out a soft gasp as Grimmjow gripped the waist band of his thin pants and boxers underneath, ripping them off in one vicious movement to throw them over his shoulder.

Ichigo sat forward and eagerly pulled Grimmjow's pants off as well, leaving them both completely naked. With sudden boldness that caught Grimmjow off guard, Ichigo slid off the bed onto his knees to face Grimmjow's erect cock. Without a second's hesitation, the ginger enveloped the straining erection in his mouth. Grimmjow had not time to think about what prompted Ichigo to be so bold.

Gasping at the abrupt wet heat that surrounded his hard flesh, Grimmjow gave a throaty moan that sounded more like a pleased growl. Letting his tongue caress the head of Grimmjow's erection, Ichigo took a deep breath and then hollowed his cheeks to go down deeper on Grimmjow. The bluenette's hands fluttered to settle in fists in the spiky, shaggy mess of orange hair atop of Ichigo's head to guide his movements. Drawing heaving breaths, Grimmjow's eyes rolled back in his head as Ichigo picked up the pace and went all the way down to the base of Grimmjow's almost painfully hard cock.

He felt a wolfish grin blossom on his lips as he realized the ginger didn't have a gag reflex. He felt himself beginning to shake all over as Ichigo moaned around the mouthful of dick, the vibration nearly pushing Grimmjow over the edge. Trying to gently pull the ginger away, Ichigo resisted and sucked even harder with each inch that left his mouth till he got to the end.

Grimmjow shook his head as he involuntarily let go of his grasp in Ichigo's hair. Moaning around the head of Grimmjow's cock whilst letting his tongue toy with it, Ichigo chuckled and let his hands grasp the bluenette's firm ass and pulled the bluenette's hips forward, slamming him deep into the back of Ichigo's throat. Maintaining the pace, Grimmjow felt himself standing at the edge of a precipice, looking over at his imminent release below.

"Fffffuck… Ichi-" He couldn't even get out the rest of the ginger's name before a moan wracked his body. The new nickname felt natural as it fell from his tongue with ecstasy. Looking over that edge with longing, the ginger's hand suddenly came up to gently toy with Grimmjow's balls. Breath hitching in his throat, Grimmjow threw himself over that ledge and rode out the waves of his orgasm, spilling his hot seed into Ichigo's mouth which the ginger swallowed quickly.

Looking down at the man before him on his knees, the sight that greeted Grimmjow had him growing hard all over again. Smoldering, warm chocolate eyes stared up him with a look of fierce lust and hunger that made his cock twitch. Orange hair was even more tangled and messy from the feverish grip that Grimmjow had had among the locks. A pink tongue snuck out of his deliciously lascivious mouth and ran the length of his upper lip in a provocative manner while a lightly tanned hand snuck up and began to stroke his already re-hardening length.

Unable to control himself, Grimmjow growled with a deep grin of impure intentions as he turned Ichigo about on his knees and bent him over. Ichigo went without resistance as Grimmjow positioned himself between the ginger's long legs. Taking his time, he fought to be patient as he gently slipped two fingers into the younger man's entrance.

Ichigo let out a pained moan of depraved pleasure. Pumping his fingers in and out, Grimmjow did his best to prepare the berry for what was to come. He wished they had lube, but that was a thought gone in the span of a clipped moan as Grimmjow gently forced his straining second erection into Ichigo's entrance.

Slowly, he entered inch by inch and each inch was rewarded with a salacious cry of pain from Ichigo, before the orangette finally thrust his ass back in a savagely quick motion that completely sheathed Grimmjow deep inside him. The hungry beast inside Grimmjow growled appreciatively as he threw all patience and caution out the window. His lust filled him to the brim as he set a quick and almost cruel pace.

Grimmjow held Ichigo's slim hips in a white knuckle grip, savoring every second of the incredibly tight heat that milked his erect flesh for all he had. Sweat beaded at his brow and ran down between his shoulder blades as the soft sounds of wet flesh hitting wet flesh and soft needy moans filled the room. Grimmjow swore that if anyone walked in, no matter whom they were, they would die screaming.

All thoughts were forced from his mind as Ichigo moaned louder and arched his back, causing Grimmjow to thrust even deeper into him. In a brutal thrust a strangled cry was torn from Ichigo and Grimmjow reached a hand out covered the ginger's mouth as he found the younger man's prostate. He bared his teeth in another crooked and wolfy grin as he hit the magical spot yet again forcing a muffled cry from Ichigo. Grimmjow didn't even mind when the ginger bit down on his hand to keep from moaning too loudly.

Balancing carefully, Grimmjow reached down with his other hand began to stroke Ichigo's poor, abandoned erection. Ichigo stiffened and moaned throatily into Grimmjow's hand, bucking his hips up to meet with Grimmjow's thrusts. He didn't know how long the ginger would be able to last against the abuse his prostrate was taking and the stroking at his cock.

Feeling himself nearing that chasm of undeniable pleasure, Grimmjow increased the pressure and speed of his stroking hand to match that of his pounding hips. His legs began to tremble and shake, but there wasn't any way he could stop even if he tried no matter how his muscles screamed in aching pain at being pushed this far after the torture he had received during electroshock therapy.

With violent force, Ichigo threw his head back and shuddered beneath Grimmjow, moaning deeply in satisfaction as he shot his milky white seed out over Grimmjow's hand and onto the floor. Feeling the heat and the tightness intensify around his throbbing cock in a stranglehold, Grimmjow growled and let a long pleasured groan rumbled from his chest as he slammed into Ichigo one last time and found his second, sweet release.

They stayed like that for a moment, panting and unable to move. Slowly, Grimmjow withdrew from the ginger which elicited a slight whine from the younger man. Standing up he offered a hand down to Ichigo and helped him stand up on unsteady legs. Supporting each other, they turned and fell into a heap on the small bed. Ichigo tried his best to avoid Grimmjow's tender burns as they fell and succeeded, much to Grimmjow's relief.

They lay there naked, covered in sweat and catching their breath. Grimmjow had been in here for far too long, but that certainly did ease his imprisonment. He lay there and thought of what he wouldn't do for cigarette right then and there. He wound up quitting cold turkey by force after being admitted in Cliff Point, as patients didn't get to smoke.

"Well…" Ichigo said breathily. "Considering you came twice, I would say then, that it wasn't too bad for my first time." Grimmjow's jaw dropped as he heard those words.

"What?" He asked. Grimmjow had figured Ichi wasn't too experienced, but he hadn't imagined that he had been a virgin until now. Smiling he shook his head and looked down at Ichigo who was cuddled up to his side.

"I would have never known..." He said with amusement. "But I hope you know that makes you mine now. So don't let anyone else play with what's mine; got it?" Ichigo chuckled at Grimmjow's remarks and nodded silently.

It didn't matter if there wasn't anyone else that Ichigo wanted to fuck and it didn't matter that Dr. Granz wanted to jump his bones, cause he knew Ichigo would kill the man before he let that happen. Grimmjow just liked saying it as it was his twisted way of displaying affection.

"Don't worry." Ichigo said softly, sounding like he was ready to drift off to sleep. "I care about you too." Grimmjow looked back down at the ginger to see he was smiling, his eyes closed as his breathing began to even out. Grimmjow was a little taken aback that Ichigo had quickly seen the true meaning behind his words.

_Well damn. _

"_Yes, I think you have found a keeper." _Pantera said smugly in reply to Grimmjow's thoughts. Grimmjow silently nodded. It certainly seemed that way.

**…**

**…**

"Good morning Kurosaki! Time to wake up!" The sickeningly cheerful voice made Ichigo want to go on a killing spree. Yawning, Ichigo fought to wake up without telling the orderly to go fuck himself. Usually he was better at being a morning person, but he had not received a whole helluva lot of sleep last night. Sitting up he found the orderly thrusting a handful of fresh scrubs in his face. Glowering at the orderly, he remembered what it meant. Every other day was a shower day and today was that day.

Now there were patients who received sponge baths, but the patients who were fully capable of their own personal hygiene were allowed to bathe themselves in a moderately supervised setting. They tried to allow for privacy, but they couldn't leave the patients alone lest they got the idea to do something less than wholesome in terms of safety.

Perking up a little, Ichigo threw back the covers and swung his pajama clad legs out of bed to find his white, lace-less shoes. Slipping them on, he tried his best to stand normally but he was still a touch sore. He couldn't help the sly smile that spread across his even more chapped lips. Following the orderly in a tired shuffle, he recalled the events of night with great pleasure. Shiro gave a grumbling moan at being woken before he was ready that turned to a shiver of a moan as he recalled the previous night's activities. While Shiro hadn't engaged in any sexual acts, he could still feel what Ichigo felt since they shared the same body.

Ichigo got into the partitioned shower and did his best to ignore the smiling orderly as he thoroughly enjoyed the hot water that sluiced over his aching muscles. Glancing down, he saw slight bruises on his hips but the orderly didn't seem to notice and if he did, he didn't appear to be connecting the dots.

Deciding it would only draw attention if he tried to hide them, Ichigo went about washing up and trying his best to enjoy the hot water that felt utterly lavish, before they shut it off. They hadn't the time last night to discuss any plans of escape like Grimmjow had said, as Ichigo had to get back to his room before the staff woke everyone in the morning. He was suddenly dying to hear of any ideas that Grimmjow might have had for escape.

Shutting the water off himself, Ichigo hurriedly dried himself off and got dressed. They had plans to make and Ichigo was a little anxious to see Grimmjow. He shook his head as he thought on everything that had happened. In two days he had already come to be wrapped around Grimmjow's finger. Now that he thought on it, he felt a bit like a slut for having sex with Grimmjow after such a short amount of time, yet strangely it had felt like it had been longer than two days. It seemed everything was happening unusually fast.

Already they had a close call with the ghost, experienced a freaky time glitch, shared personal stories and interests and had some incredible sex. Ichigo went a little weak in the knees just thinking about the sex. Everything would have been perfect, had they not been in a mental hospital with perverted and mad scientists as their doctors. That torture Grimmjow had undergone was not something Ichigo was going to let happen again.

All dressed, Ichigo let the orderly lead him into the cafeteria for breakfast. He perked up the second he saw Grimmjow's vivid and wild tangle of blue hair. Grabbing a tray of food he tried to not rush to the man's side. Taking a deep breath, he slowed his pace and did his best to act casual. Sitting down at the table beside Grimmjow, Ichigo noted the man had a devious little smirk on that pulled at the corners of his lips.

"I see you can move around fairly well this morning." He said, his voice low and hushed yet still gravelly and completely sexy. Ichigo felt a tiny shudder dance along his spine as he suppressed a smile and said nothing. Taking up his fork, he followed Grimmjow's example and didn't even bother looking at the food before chowing down.

"Course, once I've healed all the way, I'll see to it that you won't walk for awhile." The silky smooth tone to his promiscuous promise made Ichigo want to have a repeat of last night right then and there on the table. Keeping check on his libido, Ichigo just shook his head and continued eating as a blush of excitement crept up his neck. Swallowing his food, he cleared his throat.

"Last night you spoke of making plans. What did you have in mind?" They were going to get the hell out of here even if it took drastic measures.

**...**

**...**

**As requested, there is a lemon. :D I tried my best to write it as smoothly as possible without it sounding cheesy. I wound up listening to Sixteen by The Heavy over and over for inspiration, as the song made me feel promiscuous. xD**

**Please let me know what you think! There was more I wanted to say, but I am afraid I have forgotten it. Hahaha, oh well.**

**Till next time!**

**~Aurelia**


	7. Chapter 6

**Eeeep! I knew I said it would take a little longer to update this one but I still feel bad for it taking six days. I prefer to be on top of my writing but I have been suffering from writer's block. Blech! I'm not too stoked about this chapter, but I am satisfied enough with it to post it. I am afraid that if I mess with it too much that I'll ruin the plot. :P**

**Anyways, I hope you all like it! ^_^**

**...**

**...**

"I think we both know that waiting for our chance to get out by behaving well isn't going to get us very far. We won't gain anything unless we take risks." Grimmjow's voice was low and serious as they spoke together in hushed tones in the common room.

"That may be true, but we need to be stealthy about this. There is no point escaping if they are hot on our heels. If we can't shake them, we'll just get drug back here kicking and screaming." Ichigo countered. He already knew Grimmjow to be a brash, guns blazing kind of guy. While Ichigo often charged into situations just as recklessly, he had grown to be a bit more cautious since Shiro came into his life.

Grimmjow sighed and let his lip curl as he spared a glance for one of the orderlies across the common room. The two patients sat side by side, talking softly and trying to not look like they were doing what they were doing; which was conspiring. Ichigo did not want to see his new companion harmed again, but they had to be wise about how they broke out.

"Night would seem to be our best bet, eh Ichi?" Ichigo suppressed the slight smile that fought to curve his lips at the older man's new nickname for him. Grimmjow was right though, night did seem to be their best option. They wouldn't get far without keys for the locked doors, unless they found another route. Then it struck him.

"The windows in the cafeteria open and serve as a fire escape route onto the grounds. The garden wall is just a short run from there and just beyond the wall are acres and acres of forest that follow the coast line for miles." Grimmjow's face split in a grin as he thought about the plan. Ichigo could almost see the gears turning as Grimmjow put a voice to his inner machinations.

"There is a harbor town to the south that has a network of ferries that run to several islands. If we played our cards right, we could send them on a wild goose chase while we escape via ferry back up north. There are some farming and fishing communities up north that are very isolated." Ichigo could feel the excitement rising within him. While he had never lived anywhere but in a city, the idea of running off to the country with Grimmjow was appealing.

Their escape was looking more and more possible. That had so many routes before them, all they had to do was break out. That was all they needed to do. Watching the common room carefully out of his peripheral vision, Ichigo lowered his voice to an almost inaudible whisper.

"When?" Was all he asked. When would they try to break out of this hellish prison? Grimmjow's smile faded as his features were set in a calm determination. His voice dropped to a near whisper as well as he spoke to Ichigo.

"Tonight." The answer surprised Ichigo a bit but at the same time it didn't. Why wait any longer than they had to? The only thing problematic would be getting into the cafeteria after hours. The doors were usually locked. Ichigo put a voice to his concerns and was surprised when an almost terrifying smile broke out across Grimmjow's face.

"It isn't locked from the corridors in the west wing." Grimmjow was right. Since the west wing was usually locked anyways, there was no point in locking the doors that led to the cafeteria. All they had to do was bait the ghost into unlocking the doors, avoid him and they'd be in the cafeteria.

"Since my room is closest to the west wing, come to my room tonight about the same time you did last night. From there we'll make a break for the west wing. That angsty little fucker of a ghost has taken enough of an interest in you that getting it to open up the doors shouldn't be a problem. Oh, and don't worry; I'll make sure it doesn't try to eat you up." Ichigo gave an almost imperceptible nod.

He was still fairly certain that the ghost wouldn't harm them. Ichigo would just be sure to keep his guard up to that nearly tidal wave like aura of depression. He just didn't know how he was going to convince Grimmjow that the ghost wasn't entirely harmful.

Ichigo could feel the tension welling up inside him. They had to wait until nightfall and it was still only morning. He felt like pacing nervously, but he it would only earn him a mental slap from Shiro. His inverted twin hated it when Ichigo grew restless and it only made him more aware of his own boredom. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo pondered about what to do till night fell. Then he remembered his session with Dr. Granz was due any minute.

At that moment an orderly walked into the common room and began towards Ichigo and Grimmjow. Sighing Ichigo, gave Grimmjow an apologetic look as he stood and turned to face the orderly.

"Ah, Mr. Kurosaki; time for your appointment with Dr. Granz!" It was the petite, raven haired orderly with the big eyes. Her large smile that never touched her eyes gave Ichigo the creeps. Without another said, the orderly took Ichigo away as Grimmjow's expression darkened. Ichigo hoped the short tempered man would leave for his room to keep himself out of trouble.

A strange feeling washed over Ichigo. Suddenly he was overtaken by anger, jealousy and the tiniest hint of worry. He recognized the feel of the aura and tried to turn around with wide eyes to get a look at the bluenette it emanated from but the orderly gave a persistent tug to keep him on track. Ichigo let a small smile twitch at his lips as he realized Grimmjow was sulking over Ichigo being taken away.

Escorted through the western hall, Ichigo felt a tingling shiver glide across his skin as they passed the locked doors to the west wing. He saw no face, and felt nothing more than a chill. The presence was there nonetheless. He really needed Grimmjow to teach him how he could hone his skills at recognizing auras. The thought wasn't on his mind for long though as they had reached the small hallway that held the offices of various doctors.

Pushed into the dim study, Ichigo gave the orderly a roll of his eyes before he flopped down in the uncomfortable chair before Dr. Granz. The doctor looked him over with a curious expression that Ichigo couldn't quite name. Sighing heavily, Dr. Granz delicately pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose.

"You seem… different today, Ichigo. Would you like to tell me how you've been since our last session?" The doctor's voice was clipped an almost accusatory. Ichigo cocked an orange brow and crossed his arms over his chest.

_No I wouldn't like to tell you._

His thoughts rang out through his mind with vehement dislike. Shiro gave a grumbling growl of agreement. Neither of them wanted to be here right now and Ichigo was feeling very defiant, but he had to watch himself. The last thing he wanted was to give the doctor cause to lock him up in iso for the night. That would throw a wrench in his and Grimmjow's plans for sure.

"Nothing much. There isn't a whole helluva lot to do or experience around here; being a prison and all." Ichigo couldn't help the curtness in his voice when around the doctor. He hated the man. He watched the doctor's expression change into that of a predator.

"Now I wouldn't say that. There is much you can experience here and much you can learn. You just have to listen. And this isn't a prison, it is a place of healing and I am here to _help_ you in _any_ way I can." Ichigo could easily hear the innuendo in the doctor's words and shook his head with a deadpan expression.

"No thanks Doc. I don't need help." Dr. Granz sighed and made a note on his clipboard.

"You truly have an interesting condition, Ichigo. All I want is to meet with your other self and talk to them. Not only will it help you, but it will help me better understand you and the research could improve the lives of others down the line." Ichigo gritted his teeth at the doctor's words. He was sick of being treated like a guinea pig in this house of whack jobs.

"You've become very close with Mr. Jeagerjaques and you two, for the last few days have rarely been seen without one another. Are you two planning some sort of mischief?" Ichigo did his damndest to not squirm under the penetrating gaze of Dr. Granz's honey gold eyes as the question hung between them.

"Mischief? Like what? This isn't high school Doc. We can't shaving cream the staff or can freshmen. Are you expecting us to start the World War III of food fights or what?" Ichigo's tone dripped with sarcasm and wry amusement as he spoke. He could tell Dr. Granz wasn't very amused though, despite the small smile on the pink haired man's face.

"Ichigo… enough of this charade. Really now. I know your secret." As the words fell from the doctor's lips, Ichigo felt himself freeze inside. He had many secrets, but what did the doctor think he was talking about? He fought to remain calm and indifferent about everything on the outside while in his mind, he scrambled to think on what the doctor could be referring to.

Did the doctor know of his plans to escape? Or did he know about the strange relationship between him and Grimmjow? Did he know that Ichigo had snuck into the west wing? Cocking his head to the side he let a dry laugh fall from his lips.

"Really now Doc? And what secret would that be? Is this some ploy at reverse psychology? An attempt to witness a Freudian slip? Pretty pathetic even for you, Doc." He watched as the doctor sighed and tossed his shoulder length, pink hair back. The slim man discarded his clipboard with a casual toss onto the desk and leaned forward.

"I know you aren't mentally disturbed. I know you aren't insane. I know you have a less than human entity inside you. I have seen you lose control of him enough times to know he is there. I've seen you pause between words and sentences, as though you are speaking with something unseen without words." Dr. Granz's smile widened and a hungry light grew in his eyes. The man was dead on. Of all the secrets Ichigo held, he never dreamed the doctor would have uncovered this one. He had always assumed he would be mistaken for insane and that would be that.

"I also know that from what I have seen of director Kurotsuchi's work that you new little pal is much the same. You both harbor powerful secrets that I want to unlock. I will discover everything about you and your special tenant living in your head and what I discover will put me in charge of my own research in the head of my own field." The man's voice picked up speed excitedly as he nearly whispered in fevered tones.

"And when that happens, I could take you away from here. You wouldn't have to stay here anymore, and if you give me _everything _I want I might even manage to take your short tempered friend with us. You both will be crucial in proving the existence of the supernatural!" Ichigo sat back in his chair staring at the doctor with wide eyed incredulity. The doctor waited before him on the edge of his seat with bated breath.

_"Well… damn. Fer once he's right, King. But ya know? I'd still have ta say he's fuckin' nuts." _Ichigo couldn't agree with Shiro more. Dr. Granz was pretty nuts if he thought that the scientific community would take his research seriously. No one would believe in ghosts because a couple mental patients said they could see them. Shaking his head, he gave the doctor a "what the fuck" kind of look.

"You Doc, are the one who is insane." Dr. Granz seemed to snap out of his fevered excitement as Ichigo's words hit him. Setting his jaw in cold resolve, the pink haired man sat back in his hair and crossed his legs.

"Given time, I'll find a way to convince you. Just know that I could be your ticket out of here. All you have to do is cooperate with me. Otherwise I can make your life in here even more of a living hell. Think on that before our next session tomorrow." With that the doctor gave an airy wave of his hand at Ichigo.

"You're dismissed early." Ichigo got up from his chair and left the room without saying another word. Too bad for the Doc, he would be gone by the time their session rolled around tomorrow.

**…**

**…**

Back in the common room, Ichigo felt his stomach flutter to find Grimmjow already there in the exact spot where he had left him. It seemed the man had not moved. Grimmjow turned his head slightly in Ichigo's direction and Ichigo knew the bluenette knew he was there.

Plopping down heavily in the seat beside the golden tanned man, Ichigo sighed. Grimmjow stared out of the window and asked him quietly how his session had gone.

"The Doc thinks that you and I aren't crazy and that we really do see ghosts." Ichigo felt a touch of smug satisfaction that the news ruffled the rock solid man's cool. Grimmjow whipped his head around and stared at Ichigo with wide, piercing blue eyes. His brows raised and his mouth fell open slightly at the information. Taking a breath to speak, his words didn't get very far beyond a sudden commotion in the room.

The abrupt screaming of another patient silenced them both as they turned their attention to what was transpiring. The bald guy, the one who was convinced aliens were trying to implant eggs in him or something was running about the room screaming. It was apparently his scheduled time for an appointment with Dr. Granz. Ichigo couldn't blame the man for acting so hysterically. Dr. Granz made him want to throw his hands up in the air and run away screaming too. But more than that, the doctor made Ichigo want to hit him. Shaking their heads in unison, they ignored the outburst and turned back to their conversation.

"How'd Pinky reach that conclusion?" Grimmjow asked softly. Ichigo shrugged his shoulders and related everything the doctor had told him. He watched in silence as Grimmjow digested the information.

"Well, the wacko scientist is right though. But you do know that escape through him isn't really escape, right?" Grimmjow said. Ichigo rolled his eyes and nodded. Out of everyone here, he probably knew that the best. Things would probably be even worse if they cooperated with the doctor.

"Believe me, I know. It would be like selling your soul to the devil only without the short lived perks." Ichigo said with no lack of distaste for the man. They would keep to their plan of escape for tonight. He then remembered the ghost.

"Grimmjow…" He said tentatively. The man perked up and acknowledged Ichigo with a grunt.

"About the ghost. Hear me out. I don't think he's dangerous. Well, I mean he's dangerous but I don't think he means us harm." Before Grimmjow could burst out with any ridicule, Ichigo cut him off and continued.

"The only reason there was trouble last time was because I was unprepared for its aura and Shiro was just looking for a fight as usual. It didn't really try anything threatening, it was just there, talking to me. If he is a vengeful spirit, I don't think he's going to try and revenge himself on us."

Ichigo watched as Grimmjow thought for a moment about it. He looked like he was going to say something before he shook his head and let the subject drop. It was clear to Ichigo though, that he wasn't buying it one hundred percent. Deciding it was time to change the topic somewhat, Ichigo spoke up again, making sure no one had moved into hearing distance.

"What about that strange time thing?" He asked. Grimmjow's thoughtful expression deepened. They both looked out the window and waited as an orderly and another patient passed by.

"I don't know. I've never known of something like that to happen before. I can't help but think though, that it does have something to do with the spirit in the west wing. But how it would come by the ability to do that, I haven't even the slightest clue. The quicker we are in passing through there, the less of a difference there should be in the time if there is any." The bluenette shrugged his shoulders as he continued on.

"Who knows, maybe that was a onetime occurrence and it won't happen again. But to be safe I think we should be quick about getting through there not only to avoid and freaky time warps but to avoid the ghost as well." Ichigo nodded in agreement with Grimmjow's assertion. And like that, his restlessness settled over him again, much to Shiro's agitation.

They had the whole day before them and Ichigo was finding himself to be very impatient.

**…**

**…**

Easier than taking a breath, Grimmjow drew on Pantera's unnatural powers to allow himself to read in the dark. Waiting in his room after lights out, he found that his already thin patience was wearing even thinner. He had waited out Ichigo's return from his session in the common room without causing trouble and when the younger man had returned, he had told Grimmjow about Dr. Granz's proposal. The pink haired fuck had actually been dead on about him and Ichigo's less than human secrets.

They had spent the rest of the day reading and trying to avoid notice by splitting up. Ichigo had stuck to his room and read the book Grimmjow had given him while Grimmjow passed the time with pushups and more reading.

His abdomen was already healing nicely. He suspected that there had been an unintentional transference of energy between the two during their previous exploits the night before. Ichigo's aura had warm and almost healing quality to it that intrigued Grimmjow. He would do his best to protect his little ginger. It was his possessive and weird way of showing affection.

Ichigo had also tried to convince him that they should try their hardest to not act aggressively towards the ghost in the west wing tonight. The orangette had insisted that the ghost wasn't really trying to harm him the last time around and that he had just been unprepared. Grimmjow wasn't going to buy it. The second the ghost tried anything funny towards Ichigo, he would make sure it didn't come back for a long time, if ever.

_"I know you are fond of the boy, but try not to growl about it." _Pantera's wry and slightly amused voice lilted and echoed through Grimmjow's mind. Startled, he realized he had been growling. Clearing his throat, he returned his attention to his book, giving Pantera a half hearted "fuck off".

Ichigo should be here any moment now and Grimmjow could feel the excitement brewing in his gut. It was the same feeling just before he got into a fight. His muscles would tense and relax, his blood flowed faster and he could feel his pulse in his wrists as the adrenaline caused skin to crawl. A wicked grin slowly spread to reveal his perfect, white teeth. This was it.

An approaching presence drew his attention away from his thoughts and the words he was staring at but not really reading. Focusing in on the presence, his grin grew wider as he put the book down. He recognized the aura as the ginger's as was suddenly calmer than he had been a moment before. Attuning his enhanced senses, Grimmjow could pick up the faintest sound of Ichigo's bare feet on the tile floor. Seconds ticked by and the warm familiar scent that belonged to the berry drifted from under the door to his nose. The footsteps stopped outside his door and with quick, nearly silent movements, Ichigo opened the door and slipped inside to let it close quietly behind him.

"It's me, Ichigo, Grimm-" Ichigo whispered into the room but didn't finish as Grimmjow interrupted him.

"I know it's you, ginger. I recognize your scent and your aura." His enhanced sight could easily pick up the sight of Ichigo's sheepish smile and slight blush. The awkwardness in the younger man's manner was endearing; cute almost. Climbing up from his bed without making a sound, Grimmjow crossed the room on silent, shoe clad feet. He could see Ichigo was carrying his own shoes. It was smart, as the younger man could be quieter in the halls without them, but once they got outside, he would need them.

"Let's not waste any time. The orderly is in the eastern hall so this is our chance. Let's go." Without any ado, the two slipped from the room and snuck down the hallway in quick, crouching steps. They reached the west wing doors in no time at all. Hiding their selves in the shadows of the west wing's entry way, Ichigo stepped forward and placed a single hand on one of the doors.

A sudden chill came over the entry way and the doors clicked open. Taking a deep breath, the two silently crept into the west wing. Grimmjow let Pantera's aura meld even more with his own as they entered the deserted wing. He trusted Ichigo, but he didn't trust the ghost enough to let his guard down. Without wasting any time they took off down the long, unlit hall, the chill following them.

On occasion Grimmjow would catch glimpses of a pale white face with venomous green eyes reflected on windows and other surfaces. The dead eyes followed their movements as they rushed through the west wing. Halfway through the abandoned halls on their way to the cafeteria, Grimmjow began to hear whispers. He could tell the ginger was hearing them to, by the way his aura tensed. More and more of Shiro's aura began to creep out and Grimmjow was growing worried that Ichigo might not be able to control his inner self in they got into a confrontation with the ghost.

Reaching out with his own aura, Grimmjow touched Ichigo's and did his best to stabilize the ginger. He ran just behind Ichigo to prevent the berry from getting flanked and so he could keep an eye on what was ahead of them with his unnatural sight. He could see and feel the walls exuding the ghost's aura as the chill around them deepened. A slight growl escaped Grimmjow's throat as they jogged through the halls.

Then as quickly as it had surrounded them, the aura was gone. They came to another set of double doors that were left unlocked that led into a service hallway. Opening them quietly, they stepped into the abandoned service hallway that would lead them to the cafeteria. Suddenly, things seemed brighter. Taking the lead, Grimmjow shared a confused glance with Ichigo as they silently slipped into the cafeteria. Looking out one of the windows, Grimmjow felt his jaw drop in shock.

It was almost dawn. They had spent maybe ten minutes at the most in the west wing, but it seemed that hours and hours had gone by. How had time differed this much? Disregarding the strange flux in time, Grimmjow went straight to work knowing they couldn't let it faze them. A moment's hesitation could ruin everything.

Rushing to the windows with Ichigo right behind him, he grasped the sill and pushed up trying to keep it as quiet as he could. The window groaned and protested as it was forced open after years and years of disuse.

The fire escape stairs looked slick. It appeared to have rained. Holding the window open for Ichigo he motioned the ginger to go first. Ichigo folded himself in half and climbed through the window and out onto the fire escape, his bare feet silent on the wet metal. Slipping through after him, Grimmjow then closed the window as quietly as he could.

Knowing they couldn't waste anymore time, Grimmjow quietly ushered Ichigo down the stairs. They rushed down the stairs, silent as shadows and hit the lawn running. They were almost there. They were going to make it! Grimmjow could see the smile on Ichigo's face and couldn't help the slight curve to his own lips as they ran. Rounding the corner of the building side by side, they dashed into the garden.

In all his excitement, Grimmjow hadn't noticed the group of auras awaiting them. There, in the garden were several orderlies and Dr. Granz. The sun peaked over the horizon and slowly lit everyone in its pale, rosy light. There the doctor and the orderlies waited with syringes and restraints.

_But how!_

Grimmjow's thoughts were a mess of surprise and sudden anger. How had he known they would attempt to escape tonight? They had come this far and Grimmjow sure as hell wasn't going to fail here. Cutting loose, he darted forward and took out one of the syringe wielding orderlies in a single punch. Without any hesitation, Ichigo followed his lead and took out another of the orderlies. Grimmjow could feel the sudden rise in Shiro's aura as Ichigo threw himself into the fight.

Something wasn't right, yet Grimmjow couldn't put his finger on it. Dancing out of the reach of a grasping orderly, Grimmjow swung a devastating uppercut and knocked the attacking man clear off his feet right as Ichigo punched another orderly in the neck with stunning force that dropped him like a sack of rocks. All the while Dr. Granz stood there with a slight, knowing smile. Grimmjow saw Ichigo lunge for the doctor and suddenly he knew.

Before he could stop the orderly that had snuck up behind them, the man hit Ichigo with a sedative. It was then Shiro took full control and a second sedative had to be given to render him unconscious. Grimmjow knew there was an orderly behind him as well, but for all of his unnatural speed and feline like reflexes, he couldn't dodge the syringe that plunged into his flesh.

Swinging his arm viciously, he backhanded the orderly who had nailed him, sending him flying. A wave of dizziness and nausea overcame him as he fought the sleep inducing drugs. It was no use, in seconds he was swarmed by more orderlies and hit with another shot as he broke another man's nose. In a frightening moment of clarity, he understood why they had been waiting for them. But before he could dwell on it or even force it into a coherent thought, Grimmjow was sucked into the oppressive blackness of a drugged sleep.

**…**

**…**

He had been comfortable. Resting peacefully in a dreamless sleep, in a world where no one could reach him. That was, until a touch from a cold hand on the center of his chest awoke him. Bolting upright, Ichigo found himself hitting a brick wall, unable to move a muscle. Looking about frantically he realized he had been restrained to a bed in one of the iso rooms. The white padded walls surrounded him everywhere and he felt like he was going to suffocate.

Remembering the touch at his chest he focused on the person sitting at his bedside. For a moment he felt his blood run cold as he saw a pale face and bright green eyes filled with some unrecognizable emotion. He closed his eyes tight and blinked rapidly to find Dr. Granz sitting on his bedside. This was much worse than the spirit.

"Finally awake I see. They had to double dose you, you were being such a problem." Ichigo tested his restraints again but found them to be solid. He looked frantically at the tiny window in the door and was dismayed to see the outer room empty from his vantage point. This couldn't be happening. Where was Grimmjow? Was the man alright? He felt his breath escalate as his blood began to pound in his ears.

"You really think I was just going to let you escape? I have known for some time now that you and Mr. Jeagerjaques had been focusing on that wall. It was hard not to miss the way you two always spoke quietly to one another and stared out the window all day. And then suddenly you two split up. I found it hard to believe that you would suddenly forsake each other's company so quickly. So I followed my instincts and lo and behold I was right." He chuckled and looked down his nose at Ichigo in a supercilious manner.

"It didn't have to be this way, you know…" The doctor's tone darkened and Ichigo could feel his stomach churn at the cold and malicious look in his amber eyes. The man leaned over Ichigo and let a hand slip down to the waist band of Ichigo's thin scrub pants. Ichigo felt very aware and uncomfortable of his spread eagle position. A pink tongue darted out of the doctor's mouth and cleaved a line from the hollow of Ichigo's throat, over his chin and to his lips. Ichigo tried to jerk his head away, but the doctor's other hand snaked in and took a vicious grip in his tousled orange hair to hold him in place.

Dr. Granz's other hand slithered beneath the waistband of Ichigo's pants and Ichigo heard a strangled and disgruntled squeak issue forth from his mouth. Sweat beaded at his brow and he could feel every muscle in his body screaming in protest at the intrusion. His blood pounded like ruthless ocean waves on against a cliff face in his head and he desperately tried to rouse Shiro from his drugged state of unconsciousness. His attempts were in vain, as his inner self wasn't responding.

_OF ALL THE FUCKING TIMES, SHIRO!_

Torn between wanting to retch, pass back out and rip the not so good doctor's head off, Ichigo shook and threw himself against his restraints and the hands moved forth relentlessly. All of his movement ceased as though a flip had been switched the second the doctor's hand gripped his flaccid member. His eyes widened in pure anger and a touch of fear as he froze.

With a look of unwholesome intent, the doctor's hand went to his own pants and Ichigo could feel a warm moistness brewing behind his eyes. Abruptly the room was plunged into pitch black as the light went out. A chill crept into the room and a tangible despair swirled around them in the dark. Recognizing the ghost, Ichigo was shocked to find it outside of the west wing. Fighting hard to steel himself to the spirit's aura, Ichigo focused hard enough that he was able to see an outline of the spirits aura standing right beside them.

Ichigo watched in slight horror and surprise as the ghost reached out and plunged a claw like hand into the doctor's back. Dr. Granz's hand released Ichigo and the man gasped in pain and arched his back as he fell to the floor. In a shimmer of power, the spirit vanished and the lights came back on. Panting as he fought to control the overwhelming amount of adrenaline in his system, Ichigo watched as Dr. Granz struggled to stand up.

"Wh-what the h-hell just hap-p-pened?" The doctor wheezed as he finally righted himself, using the bedside for support. Ichigo stared wide eyed and silent as the doctor glared down at him as though it was his fault the man had just got bitch slapped by a ghost with a hero complex.

"It doesn't fucking matter." The doctor hissed angrily. "Your friend is about to find out that you told me about your plans to escape during our session. I'll see to it you're all alone again. You shouldn't have fought me on this issue." Staggering from the room, Dr. Granz slammed the door behind him, leaving Ichigo alone in the white room.

_NO!_

This couldn't be happening. Ichigo struggled against his restraints even more and he let out an angered yell. He couldn't let the doctor take away his only friend in this place. Grimmjow would see the facts the doctor presented and it would be overwhelming evidence. Ichigo could hardly believe the doctor had just concluded they would try to escape that night from all of that insubstantial evidence. By all rights it didn't really make sense. There had to be more to it that he just wasn't seeing.

Letting out a long, bellowing roar of pure rage, Ichigo struggled till his wrists and ankles bled. He let his fury and his despair consume him as he let out another window rattling yell that woke Shiro from his slumber. Ichigo let his anger become one with Shiro's as the two raged out of control and thrashed with all their strength against their bonds.

In moments the restraint on Ichigo's left wrist snapped. Quickly, he undid the other wrist and then his ankles to leap up from the bed to the door across the room. His eyes clouded in a swirling rage of gold and black, he pounded at the door with everything he had.

He wasn't going to lose everything again.

**…**

**…**

Grimmjow lay awake in his bed, restrained in one of the white rooms. He detested these rooms but he handled them better than Ichigo and Shiro did. He knew how much the two hated the isolation rooms and he empathized with them.

It was then he felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck as he detected the icy presence of the ghost from the west wing. Shocked to having sensed the ghost outside of its territory for the first time Grimmjow felt his protective urges well up inside him. Jerking against his restraints he found it to be a worthless pursuit. Then, almost as quick as it had surfaced, the ghost's aura had vanished to be replaced by Ichigo's rage.

Something was horribly wrong. Had the ghost attacked Ichigo? He flexed his corded arms and struggled to snap the leather bonds but it was no use. Within moments of the start of the ginger's fit, Grimmjow felt Shiro's aura added to the mix. Everything was wrong.

How had the doctor and the orderlies known? Grimmjow could feel a crucial thought hidden somewhere in his still drug fogged memories, but he couldn't recall it for the life of him. Even Pantera was confused and unable to remember much. He should not have been this out of it from a couple sedatives.

Before he could think much more on it, Dr. Granz stepped into the room. The doctor had a slight slouch to his walk and Grimmjow could feel the slightest trace of the ghost's aura on him. Sighing in relief that it wasn't Ichigo the ghost had attacked, Grimmjow watched as the doctor approached and stood at his bedside, hands in the pockets of his white lab coat.

"Hell Mr. Jeagerjaques!" He said in a disgustingly jovial voice. He couldn't fool Grimmjow. The malevolence in the pink haired man's eyes was unmistakable.

"S'up Pinky." Grimmjow said with unaffected nonchalance. He wouldn't let the doctor get under his skin. Hell the director of this damn place was his doctor so whatever this little narcissistic freak tried to dish out, Grimmjow could more than handle. Dr. Granz gave a slight twitch of disgust for the nickname but didn't focus upon it.

"I imagine why you're wondering why I am here." He said, all pleasantry and smiles. Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the man and snorted in a derisive laugh. He didn't give a shit as to what this fuck had to say. What he did care about though, was what had been done to Ichigo to make him this angry that he would willingly let Shiro out.

"Well I'll just tell you then." Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the doctor took a more comfortable stance. He knew better than to get too close to the bluenette even when he was restrained. Grimmjow had a bit of a reputation in the hospital for being a Houdini when it came to restraints.

"I'm here to help you. Ichigo came to me during our session yesterday and he told me how you had pressured him into trying to run away. He told me everything." Grimmjow felt a twitch at his right eye but kept his face impassive. It was a bluff; an attempt to break the camaraderie Grimmjow and Ichigo shared.

"Tch… bullshit, Pinky." Grimmjow spat. He couldn't help the angry curl to his lip that made him look as though he was silently snarling. His white and unusually sharp canines were bared at the doctor, but the pink haired man showed no fear.

"It is the truth. He told how you waited till dark and snuck into the west wing. You went all the way around to the cafeteria and crept down the fire escape. Now I am not sure how you two picked the lock to the west wing but Ichigo rambled on that a ghost had unlocked it for you. I am afraid this little escapade has undermined all the progress we had made." The doctor tsked and shook his head sadly. Grimmjow felt his blood run cold at the doctor's words.

How had he known all of that? Did he guess? No, he couldn't have, otherwise he wouldn't have known jack shit about the ghost. It all sank in and Grimmjow felt a weight like a ship's anchor settle on his chest as the reality came crashing down on him.

"You both are very ill." Dr. Granz continued with feigned warmth. "That is why you are here. You are mentally unstable and in dire need of treatment. We aren't your enemies. This isn't a prison and there are no such things as ghosts."

Grimmjow felt his eyes widen as he lay there dumbfounded. He felt his world collapse around him. Was he really crazy? Was this all some delusion? For the first time since he had come here, he began to doubt his presence of mind. He felt a sickening feeling of vertigo come over him as the room shifted and the doctor's voice distorted and his words became nonsense. He _felt _crazy.

He watched the doctor's mouth move but he couldn't understand the words that were spoken. Something was wrong. This was all wrong. Where was Pantera? Why couldn't he sense Pantera or Ichigo anymore? In a single grounding moment, his senses returned to normal long enough to hear Dr. Granz's words

"You _are _crazy Mr. Jeagerjaques."

**…**

**…**

**Yep! So some loopy shit is going on. xD I am trying my hardest to overcome this dastardly writer's block to get the next chapter out as quickly as possible. The plot is really beginning to thicken and I hope you all are intrigued! **

**Furthermore, I also wanted to thank all of you again for all the awesome reviews and the favorites! They mean a lot to me and I am always glad to hear from my readers. Also, I am glad that the smut in the previous chapter was well liked. :P**

**Thanks again guys and until the next chapter!**

**~Aurelia**


	8. Chapter 7

**Huzzah! New chapter! Totally kicked my writer's block in the ass. Now, there is a buttload of new information that will be thrown at you in this chapter that should explain most of the mysteries that I left you all with in the previous chapter. :D**

**Some terminology for you and how to pronounce it:**

*** Double letter r's signify r's that are supposed to be rolled**

**Iadului – (pronounced as Ee-ah-doo-ee) is Romanian for "Netherworld"**

**Umblator Simcire – (pronounced as Oom-bluh-torr Sim-see-rray) which is a loose phonetic approximation for "Wandering Soul" in Romanian **

**Lunata Fiara – (pronounced Loo-nah-tah Fee-arr-uh) another loose phonetic translation for "Moon Beast" in Romanian**

**Strigoi – (pronounced Strih-goy) which is a word that can mean vampire, ghost, or spirit among other things… in Romanian of course**

**Now, enough of my longwinded ways and onwards with the chapter!**

**…**

**…**

_He's lying._

Grimmjow could distantly hear a screaming Ichigo held in another room somewhere down the hall as his own room fell utterly silent. The pink haired doctor smiled down at him with malicious glee as Grimmjow tried to sort through the disorientation he was feeling.

_He's only guessing._

He felt suddenly too warm and could feel the sweat on his forehead roll back into his hair line as he stared up blank faced yet wide eyed at nothing in particular. He no longer tried to struggle against the restraints that held him to the small gurney-like bed. There was a tightness in his chest and he felt his breath grow short. He couldn't feel Pantera anymore. He couldn't sense anything. Colors were duller, smells vanished and sounds muted.

_He's bluffing._

Grimmjow felt like he was suffocating. Ichigo would never have betrayed their plans, he couldn't have. But how did the doctor know? How did he know about the ghost in the west wing? Ichigo had to have told him. That was the only logical explanation. The doctor spoke again but his words were muffled and unintelligible between the shock and the high pitched ringing in his ears. His vision blurred and shifted as he began to see things.

Dr. Granz smiled a smile full of jagged fangs that dipped blood and saliva. Grimmjow blinked and the doctor's face was rotting and falling apart. Another blink and he was spewing black blood as horns ripped from under his skin and hair. Grimmjow screwed his eyes shut and fought to see normally again. He could feel invisible hands tearing at his clothes, spiders under his flesh, snakes around his neck, worms in his veins and maggot in his skull. Whispering chattering voices cooed and gibbered nonsense that threatened to drive Grimmjow mad.

Opening his eyes, he was astounded to see Ichigo. Ichigo's face was smiling but in his eyes there was a fevered light of pure hatred and madness. Blood trickled down his face from a wound that was lost in his hairline and his clothes were torn and muddied. Ichigo's smile widened as his chocolate eyes flashed to an amber gold as he stepped closer to Grimmjow.

_"I'm… sorry."_ Ichigo's voice was disjointed and almost robotic as his words came out clipped and toneless.

_"But… I… hate… you." _With those words Ichigo plunged his hand into Grimmjow's chest and tore his beating heart from the intensely painful wound. Grimmjow couldn't speak. He couldn't move or breathe. He felt tears leave warm salty tracks down his face as Ichigo laughed maniacally and ate his heart with relish. He lay there in complete horror as writhing rotting hands erupted from bed and grasped at his limbs painfully, rotting nails ripping and tearing into his slack muscles.

This couldn't be real. It wasn't real. But no matter how many times Grimmjow opened and closed his eyes, the twisted and horrifying visions never ceased.

**…**

**…**

It had been two days since they had been caught trying to escape. Ichigo lay restrained to a bed in the same room he had first met Grimmjow in, but this time he was all alone. He had managed to wrest control away from Shiro and calm himself down enough that the orderlies relocated him, but they still weren't going to let him back into the common room with the others. Dr. Granz hadn't visited him since the day they had been caught, yet Ichigo couldn't decide whether he was glad of it or not.

He had not seen or heard a thing of Grimmjow since they had been separated and he was nearly frantic with worry for his only friend. It had only been two days but Ichigo felt the separation rather acutely.

_Has it been two days?_

Ichigo could hardly remember. Time seemed all twisted around. He didn't understand what was going on. The ghost hadn't paid him a visit at all since rescuing him from the lecherous clutches of Dr. Granz which made him a little disappointed. More than anything he wanted to thank the spirit and to ask it some questions. That just didn't seem to be in the cards though.

During the rare times of lucidity that he had between druggings, Ichigo tried his damndest to figure out exactly how Dr. Granz had known they would escape. He doubted the doctor had waited outside in the cold and wet all night for them to try to escape. It just didn't seem plausible that he could have come to a conclusion from all the suspicions he had had. There was more to this whole thing that Ichigo wasn't seeing. He needed to put his head together with Grimmjow to figure this out but that also wasn't an option. Then he thought of Shiro.

His inner self had been furious since the failed attempt to escape and he could feel the pale twin inside his head now pacing and raging like a caged animal behind the walls Ichigo had surrounded him with. Did he dare try to let Shiro out enough that they could talk the situation over?

_Che… fuck. What have I got to lose?_

Taking a deep breath Ichigo closed his eyes to focus even though it was dark in the room. Calming his mind he sought out Shiro's presence from behind the walls and barriers of emotions, thoughts and secrets. Trying to be easy going about it, he spoke to Shiro.

_Hey. You there?_

_ "Where th' fuck else would I go, eh?" _Shiro said in biting tones. Ichigo winced a little at the hostility in Shiro's watery voice but brushed it aside.

_I need your help._

_ "Yer fuckin' right ya do! With my strength on top 'o yers, we could prolly bust ourselves outta here." _Ichigo internally shook his head. It was not a proposition he was going to take. He wouldn't leave Grimmjow for one and secondly, he probably wouldn't get very far before he got tackled by a veritable army of orderlies.

_"Yer such a little bitch, King. Ya heard the doc, yer boyfriend ain't gonna want nuthin' ta do with ya since the doc went an' told 'im that ya ratted 'im out." _Shiro growled. Ichigo felt a slight tick in his cheek as he clenched his jaw and tried his best to not get angry.

_And what makes you think Grimm would believe him, huh? Have more faith in people, Shiro._

He could see the inverted version of himself roll his eyes in disgust at the sappy notion. He knew Shiro wasn't one for making friends but Ichigo refused to let that come between him and his chances at making friends. In truth Grimmjow was something more than a friend. It was a strange relationship.

_"Yeah, yeah…" _Shiro grumbled begrudgingly.

_Now Shiro, have you noticed anything that seemed odd to you? Any guesses on how the Doc knew we'd be there?_

There was a momentary pause of silence and Ichigo got the sense that Shiro was thinking. After a long moment Shiro grunted in a negative, which was better than the smart ass comment he had been expecting. It seemed Shiro had been sobered up a little by the recent events. Ichigo let out a long breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Maybe Shiro wasn't so good at picking up on the supernatural either; not like Grimmjow and Pantera were. He got a bit of a heated grumble from Shiro for that thought.

Ichigo tried his best to relax despite being tied to a bed like he was in some bad porno. All he could do now was wait until he could speak to Grimmjow.

**…**

**…**

When morning came, Ichigo awoke as the first painfully bright rays of dawn stabbed at his poor, sensitive eyes. The orderlies were there mere minutes after he awoke as was Dr. Granz. The doctor smiled as the orderlies took his restraints off and let him stand and stretch. He hoped whatever the doctor was here for didn't take long because Ichigo needed to piss something fierce.

"Now if you can promise to behave, we can let you back into the common room for free time to socialize but you will be strictly watched. Alright?" The doctor's voice was far too cheerful and Ichigo felt like there was something about this deal he wasn't going to like. Not caring too much for the doctor's ploys, Ichigo nodded and was extremely grateful when the orderlies led him off to relieve himself.

After a quick shower, Ichigo was led into the cafeteria. The first thing he noted was that there were orderlies along the windows and it appeared there had been locks installed on the windows. For safety purposes, should there ever be a fire, Ichigo knew that each of the orderlies would have to have a key to the locks in order to evacuate patients as quickly as possible. The idea of snagging a key though, seemed impossible.

He was given his food and he was set down at a table by himself as orderlies not far away kept a close eye on him. Scanning the cafeteria, Ichigo was very disappointed to not see the wild, unruly and sexy tangle of blue hair he had been looking for among the crowd of patients. Wolfing down his breakfast, Ichigo held a hope that Grimmjow might be in the common room. He sat there and let the detestable excuse for food slide down his throat without tasting it. In a matter of moments his food was gone and he had chugged whatever they had given him to drink. As he stood up, an orderly approached him carrying a paper cup of water and what looked to be medication.

This would be the first time that the doctor had ever given them orders to medicate Ichigo. Looking at the orderly with apprehension, he recognized then as the small dark haired woman. She smiled brightly with her smile that made Ichigo's skin crawl. She truly reminded him of one of those creepy porcelain dolls.

"The doctor asked me to give you these to alleviate any soreness or pain." Ichigo looked into her hand and recognized the pills as simple ibuprofen. Still feeling a touch wary, he smiled at her in return with the best smile he could manage and told her he was just fine. Her smile faltered for a single moment, but it returned in an instant making Ichigo doubt that it had even slipped.

"Take them now, or I will get the other orderlies here to ram them down your fucking throat." Ichigo was taken aback by her sudden change in manner. Her tone was still saccharine sweet but he could hear the threat lacing her vicious words. Gritting his teeth Ichigo huffed and snatched the pills from her hand and dropped them onto his tongue. Taking the water from her he swigged it all in one go and handed the empty paper cup back to her with no lack of attidude. He was about to turn and leave but her tiny hand darted out and caught his sleeve.

"Open your mouth and lift your tongue." Ichigo rolled his eyes and did as she asked showing her that he had indeed, swallowed the pills. With a satisfied nod, the orderly allowed him to head into the common room. Upon entering the common room, he noted the orderlies in there immediately focused upon him and did their best to watch his every move.

Taking his usual seat by the window, he watched birds dart from tree to tree in the garden. He knew within seconds of entering the room that Grimmjow was not there. He had noticed the beastly new guy glowering at everyone from a corner but that was really the only change. The new guy had been in iso for so long but it seemed they had finally decided to let him out.

Looking to make sure no one was watching him too closely, Ichigo convulsed the muscles in his throat and with minimal effort the two little pills were back in his mouth sitting on the back of his tongue. He had a talent for not actually swallowing things all the way and letting them sit in his throat. It was how he had gotten away with chewing gun in high school when the teachers told him to spit it out. Feigning a cough, he spit the pills into his hand and casually slipped them into the pocket of his scrub pants.

He smirked a little to himself as he thought of the creepy, petite orderly who had forced him to take the pills. She was something else. The way she had spoke had sent chills skittering across Ichigo's skin. That was the first time any of the orderlies had ever been that aggressive. It was always veiled and made into passive aggression that goaded you but was never really recognized as intolerable behavior. She had to be the worst out of all of them. He wouldn't soon forget the way her eyes had lit up with cruel delight when she took Grimmjow off for his session. Grimmjow…

There was a sickening feeling of dread in the pit of Ichigo's stomach. Either that or it was whatever he had eaten for breakfast. No matter which, he felt sick with worry for Grimmjow. Was he being tortured with shock therapy by the director again or was he still in iso. Ichigo had figured that the bluenette would make it out of iso before him since Ichigo was terrible at controlling Shiro in the white room. But maybe Grimmjow had lost his temper and done something really bad. Had he seriously hurt someone?

Another thought suddenly struck him from the dark and doubting corners of his mind. What if Grimmjow really had believed what Dr. Granz said he would tell him? Was he avoiding Ichigo on purpose?

_"Now look who's not havin' faith in people 'n shit." _Shiro spat sulkily. Shiro was right. He had to keep faith in his only friend.

He shook the thoughts from his head and tried to think more positively about the situation. No matter what though, he felt lonely and in want of Grimmjow's company. The man had a strong presence and when he was around, Ichigo didn't feel so crazy; he didn't doubt himself. The bluenette was like a pillar of reality that kept Ichigo on track in this fucked up place. But now it seemed like he had vanished. There wasn't a single trace of him anywhere.

Heaving what seemed to be his twentieth sigh so far that day, Ichigo stood and made his way to the doors that led to the dormitory halls. When an orderly stopped him, Ichigo kept his despondent gaze on the ground and told the orderly he merely wanted to go to his room. The orderly nodded and escorted him to his room. The door was kept open and Ichigo noted that there was an orderly at the end of the hall who watched his door. He wouldn't be able to make any kind of move without them knowing.

Throwing himself onto his less than comfortable bed, Ichigo grunted a curse when something hard jabbed painfully into his ribs. Sitting up, he remembered he had put the book Grimmjow had given him under his mattress. Jumping down off his bed, he reached under the mattress and pulled the hard backed book out. Reclaiming his seat on his bed, he cracked the book open and read the inside cover.

He hadn't gotten very far into the book the last time he had opened it. Running his hands along the pages that Grimmjow would have touched Ichigo realized this was the only thing that kept a link between he and Grimmjow; the only thing that proved to Ichigo that he wasn't crazy, that he hadn't dreamed everything up and that Grimmjow was real. Just like the man had once said himself…

_I'm real. I can touch you, hurt you, and leave marks… I've worked too hard at this life for you to discredit it all as a figment of your imagination._ That was what he had said.

Peering at the table of contents, Ichigo noted the page the section about ghosts began on and flipped to the page. Delving into the book, he immersed himself into the words within as he resolved to learn anything that might be useful.

**…**

**…**

The next morning Ichigo awoke and followed the same bland, mind numbing routine. Wake, change, eat breakfast and stare out the window before returning to his room again. Once again Grimmjow was nowhere to be seen and Ichigo was growing more and more worried. For all his reading into the supernatural he hadn't come across much of anything useful.

He found all kinds of information on every type of monster mankind could think of, but nothing that really shed light on his predicament. From ghosts to vampires, to demons, to zombies and werewolves to everything in between, none of it was helpful. Tossing the book aside, Ichigo crawled off of his bed and shoved the book back under his mattress. He felt completely ridiculous. As if looking in some book about fictitious creatures was going to help him figure out how the doctor knew they would try to escape that night.

Rolling his shoulders and working the crick out of his neck, Ichigo walked from his room down the hall to where the orderly stood watching him. He passed the orderly and traipsed into the common room, unable to stare at that stupid fucking book any longer. What he saw just about stopped him in his tracks. There, by the window was Grimmjow. Ichigo felt his heart jack hammering at his ribs and his stomach doing back flips. He was so excited in more ways than one to see the bluenette, but he was nervous all the same. Trying to not quicken his pace or look conspicuous, Ichigo strode up to the hunched over man and sat down in his usual chair beside him.

Grimmjow didn't turn to acknowledge him and Ichigo felt his stress heighten even more as his gut tied itself in nervous knots. Something was wrong. Grimmjow sat staring blank faced out the window, not moving a single muscle. Working up the courage to say something, Ichigo took a breath but was surprised when Grimmjow spoke first.

"Don't talk to me. It'd be best if you just left." Ichigo was dumbstruck. The bluenette's voice was completely dead and devoid of emotion when he spoke and nothing in his deadpan manner changed. Beginning to panic, Ichigo asked what was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Grimmjow said almost robotically. "You ratted us out to Pinky the mad scientist. That was the only way he could have known and he told me so himself. I didn't want to believe it but honestly, it's the only thing that makes sense." Ichigo's worst fears were being realized. He felt his heart sink and his body numb in shock whilst Shiro growled internally at the bluenette's apathy in lieu of an "I told you so".

"Now get the fuck away from me." Grimmjow grumbled. Ichigo could feel Shiro's anger beginning to seep into his own emotions as he heatedly defended himself.

"I didn't tell that fucker shit!" He whispered angrily. "If you believe what he says so easily then maybe you don't really want to get out of here. Perhaps you should stay in here. I thought that maybe you understood what I was going through but obviously not, otherwise you wouldn't complacently believe that snake and sit here rotting away. Fuck you!" Ichigo hadn't meant to lose his temper but he was glad to see that it invoked a response of sorts from Grimmjow; even if that response was standing up and punching Ichigo in the face.

The blow knocked Ichigo backwards ass over tits in his chair. Struggling to get up and fighting back the wave of dizziness as his whole face throbbed painfully, Ichigo stumbled to his feet and strode over to a tense Grimmjow as orderlies were rushing towards them. Grimmjow held his fists up and stood in a guarded stance but Ichigo simply walked up to him and took the hesitating bluenette's face in his hands. Staring the man dead in his vivid cyan eyes, Ichigo let Shiro's anger grow in power.

Without truly knowing what he was doing, Ichigo let his instinct guide him as he slapped Grimmjow across the face with all of force he could muster, but without raising a hand. The powerful and intangible aura of anger and hurt hit Grimmjow with a very physical amount of force and Ichigo watched as he let go and Grimmjow staggered then fell to his knees looking bewildered and dazed.

It was then the orderlies jumped them and separated them. Ichigo was tossed into his room while a yelling and fiery Grimmjow was carted off to iso. Sitting in his room, Ichigo pouted as they locked his door from the outside, leaving him in his room. He imagined that the only reason he wasn't in isolation himself was because he hadn't actually engaged in violence; not any violence that the orderlies could have seen anyway.

He had channeled all of his frustration into that hit and he didn't know why he did that instead of just punching Grimmjow back. He felt a twinge of regret that Grimmjow was back in iso, but the jerk had punched him in the face. Reaching a hand up, he tenderly felt at his jaw and winced when he felt a dull yet cringe worthy lance of pain at the contact. It was definitely going to bruise, that was for sure.

Feeling the grip of his despair begin to creep up on him again, Ichigo sat on his bed, his back to the corner as he tucked his legs up close to himself and wrapped his arms around his knees, pressing them to his chest. He felt like crying, which was something he was always loathe to do. Why did things have to take the turn from fucking horrible to Satan's shitter?

**…**

**…**

He sat silent and slumped up against a padded wall. This was one of the most anticlimactic trips to iso he had ever had. He felt kind of numb and bleary as though he were waking up from oversleeping. It was like the time when he had graduated high school and started working the night shift at his old job as a security guy. Not going to bed until five in the morning and then waking up sixteen hours later with just enough time to eat, brush his teeth, dress and sprint to work. He had hated that feeling of never ending drowsiness, but it was better than being awake all the time and seeing… and seeing what? Dead people? Psh, that was fucking retarded.

Grimmjow sat and tried to remember… well much of anything. It was like there were bits and pieces of his life that were just gone. He felt as though his head was full of cotton and his heart was pushing sand through his veins. It was fucking pleasant like having tea with Hannibal Lector. He could almost hear a nagging voice inside his head that was vying for his attention. Beginning to grow more and more alert, Grimmjow sat up and tried to focus past the pain and grogginess.

Things were strange. In the common room, Ichigo had slapped him across the face, but he never saw Ichigo's hands move. What had happened? The blow had been strong enough that it had knocked him down, but Ichigo's hands had been clutching his face the whole time. Abruptly the voice in his head grew louder and louder till it was almost shouting.

_"Listen to me when I am speaking to you, you worthless twat!" _Grimmjow was sent reeling as his mind was flooded with images, memories and blinding pain as he finally pulled himself out of the strange haze he had been in. Shaking his head he growled back at Pantera, accidentally vocalizing his complaints instead of simply thinking them.

"You're the twat, you arrogant prick." Grimmjow mumbled as he slumped forward and held his head in his hands.

Trying to shake his head clear of the last of the lingering lethargy, Grimmjow instantly felt horrible for punching Ichigo in the face. It didn't matter that he had been mad at the ginger, he shouldn't have punched the guy. In a sickening rush he remembered why he was mad at the berry. Like Rube Goldberg contraption, his thoughts were sent tumbling, triggering another thought and creating an organized chaos in its wake that let everything fall neatly into place.

"Holy shit!" He whispered hoarsely to himself. Everything finally made sense. He knew Pantera knew what he knew, and he could sense the spectral panther bristling like a feral cat that had caught sight of a dog. Struggling to organize his thoughts he remembered back to the night he and Ichigo had gotten captured during their utter failure of a mission impossible escape.

Just before he had been hit with a sedative, he had noticed something horribly off about Dr. Granz's aura. There had been something inhuman about it but he had noticed it far too late; though he couldn't really blame himself since he had never spent much time around the doc. Still he berated himself for not noticing it sooner. He recognized the feel of the aura the doc had given out as it was the same type of aura Pantera had.

"A fucking iadului…" The whisper hit his lips and he could hear the heightened and rumbling growls of Pantera in his mind as he snarled in animosity for the name. Frantically wracking his brains he tried to determine just exactly what it was on their hands

Over his years of research into the supernatural, Grimmjow had learned of many types of beings that Pantera had confirmed as real. Demons, poltergeists, ghosts, witches, shape shifters, blood drinkers -which he was against actually calling vampires- and even lycanthropes. There were many types of monsters, the most recognizable being the undead. He hadn't found zombies yet, but he knew they were out there somewhere.

Out of everything he had discovered there was an ancient class of creatures that originated from Eastern Europe known as iadului. The iadului were known as "netherworlders", creatures of the netherworld that weren't necessarily undead but definitely weren't demons. Demons had codes and rules to follow. They all danced to the tune of the big guy in charge downstairs. Not Lucifer, the devil or anything like that but simply the King of Hell. That guy was known as the Sovereign.

Among the iadului were many types of creatures. There were the Umblator Simcire, which was what Pantera was; a very powerful wandering soul or concentration of higher energy who took the form of a spectral animal that chose to live within a host. Most Umblator Simcire wound up harming their hosts but Pantera was different. After centuries of existence, he had grown tired of the monotonous ways of his life and found much more enjoyment out of coexisting with his host. Grimmjow was the seventh host that Pantera had lived with in a harmonious manner and the hosts before him expired of old age and natural causes. Not many of Pantera's kind were left today as many had died out in a feud that had happened long ago.

Next among the iadului was the Lunata Fiara. They were creatures influenced by the moon and its phases much like lycanthropes but they were different in the fact that they could easily control when they changed and what they changed into. Their source of power stemming directly from the moon, they were violent, sly and typically loners. They were one of the main reasons, according to Pantera, that the feud had started so long ago.

Finally there was the Strigoi. Strigoi were creatures of magic who could take a human form and were masters in the arts of deception and greed. They were like the witches of old, dealing with powers of darkness and manipulating everything around them. They were tricksters and loved to play with the minds and realities of humans. They were cunning, intelligent and insatiable in their appetites be they of a carnal or primal instinct. Unlike the Umblator Simcire, the Lunata Fiara and the Strigoi had to feed. The Lunata Fiara could maintain their health with the same sustenance that humans used but the Strigoi were different; they _had_ to feed from humans. Whether it was flesh, energy, a soul or something as simple as negative emotions, Strigoi had a multitude of ways to feed from humans.

Pantera had once told Grimmjow that the reason the feud has started was primarily the fault of the Strigoi, but he never went into detail about how. Grimmjow and Pantera both recognized the strange aura from the doctor as that of an iadului, but which one was he?

_"I can tell you here and now, he is certainly no Umblator Simcire possessing a man. I would have recognized him off the bat." _Pantera said contemptuously in an almost haughty manner. Grimmjow grunted in agreement. Pantera was right.

_While they're not stupid, I don't think a Lunata Fiara could be what we're dealing with as it wouldn't be this smart. It was smart enough to try and separate me and Ichigo by fucking with my head and Strigoi dealt with enchantments of the mind. They specialized in spreading lunacy._

The more and more Grimmjow thought about it, the more it seemed likely that they had a Strigoi on their hands. But it seemed highly unlikely to come across a creature as powerful and rare as that in this place. But then again, it was the perfect place for a Strigoi to feed. So much energy and negative emotions filled this place to leave a Strigoi feeling happier than a shark in a fish hatchery. It explained everything except for the strange inconsistencies in time whenever they had entered the west wing.

As his thoughts drifted to the west wing, he recalled the ghost. He remembered feeling a hint of its aura on the doctor before he went under. It was nice to know the ghost didn't like the Strigoi either but he still couldn't figure out the fucking time warps. He couldn't help but feel that the ghost played a part in that somehow and it wasn't due to the Strigoi; though it was within the Strigoi's capability to fuck with their sense of time, the creature just had no motive to do so.

_How do we fight something like that, Pantera? We've beat the literal Hell outta many things but we've never come across another iadului. _

_ "We fight it just the same as the others, only we have less room for error here. The iadului are all very powerful and when it comes to Strigoi, the more they feed, the stronger they become."_ Grimmjow heaved a sigh. Of course they had to wind up in the midst of a Strigoi who just happened to be at his own personal buffet. This was fucking perfect. Remembering Ichigo, Grimmjow felt a knot of dread twist his insides uncomfortably.

_Do you think the Strigoi knows that you are there, using me as your vessel?_

_ "Tch…" _The spectral panther scoffed. _"I highly doubt it. If the fool had noticed me, it wouldn't have toyed with your mind. What troubles me though is that I didn't sense it. True they are very skilled in deception and hiding their true natures, but it vexes me nonetheless that it escaped my senses." _Grimmjow knew how Pantera felt. He too was angry that he hadn't noticed the inhuman nuances to his aura.

Was it possible that the Strigoi did know that an Umblator Simcire was in his territory and that he was masking himself from the more powerful being with heavy enchantments? It was all possible but he had to figure out the angle the creature was playing. Did it merely want to fuck with their heads and feed from the negativity it created and their stronger than usual auras? Why the proposal of taking them away if they cooperated with his research then? Unless that was a trick to get them alone where he could consume their bodies and then they wouldn't be missed.

There wasn't any doubt in his mind anymore that Dr. Granz was a Strigoi; and Ichigo was his favorite little patient. If the Strigoi ever managed to bed Ichigo the end result would most likely be death for the poor ginger. Strigoi often ate the humans they sated their sexual appetites with. He couldn't live with himself if he let that happen to Ichigo. He was never one for sentimental nonsense, but he felt compelled to feel strongly for the berry and it was a feeling he wasn't used to. Despite this revelation, he knew that the orderlies were very likely to keep the two of them separated now. He had to find a way to warn Ichigo before it was too late.

Suddenly recalling the book he had given Ichigo, he racked his brain trying to remember if it had anything about Strigoi or the iadului in it but he couldn't remember. No matter what though, he had to protect the ginger from that monster. Now that he was free of the Strigoi's freakish reality altering influence, he could attempt apologize to the berry and make amends for the things he had said. Oh yeah and for punching him in the face.

"_It was on page 346 in the book you gave him." _Pantera's smooth baritone that was so similar to his own startled him. It took a brief second and an irreverent chuckle from the spectral panther for Grimmjow to realize what he was talking about.

_You're right!_

He cried. The page specifically spoke of Strigoi, though in the book it had incorrectly named them incubi; that was why he hadn't recalled it at first. Incubi were demons, which was something Strigoi were not but it didn't really matter at this point. There were methods of warding against Strigoi, but Grimmjow highly doubted that they would find an item blessed by a Traveller – the people who had come to be known as gypsies in western culture though they preferred the term Roma or Traveller. The book also mentioned that an item imbued with a blessing from the dead could serve as a form of protection as well, but that was just as unlikely.

Then again maybe not. They had their own resident ghost. Grimmjow was entirely against sending Ichigo into the west wing alone to convince the depressed and slightly violent spirit to bless something. Snarling in agitation, he came to the realization that it was the only chance they had to protect Ichigo for now until they figured a way out of this hell hole or until Grimmjow choked the life out of the sneaky fucker that masqueraded as a doctor for mental patients.

**…**

**…**

**Yes… I threw some funky stuff in there but I hope that explains most of what is going on now. I've also had another request for some smutty smut, smut-smut action between Grimmy and Ichi, so I'll try and work that in as naturally as possible.**

**Side note, that little trick Ichigo did to keep from swallowing the pills; totally a skill I exploited in middle and high school allllllll the time since we weren't allowed to have gum in school. Also, Grimmjow's "holy hell, I'm going crazeh!" scene was actually something of a nightmare that I have on a reoccurring basis. Now that I think of it, I have a lot of those. Now that you all know I'm twisted in the head and can secret gum away in the back of my throat… I shall leave with this chapter and immediately start working on the next! Please, please pleeeaaaasssse leave a review for me and let me know what you think or what you want to see! ^_^**

**~Aurelia**


	9. Chapter 8

**Another chapter's here! This chapter is leading up to some intense action among other things, so I do apologize if it feels a little dry. I tried my best to spice it up with some lighthearted humor.**

**I also wanted to give a heartfelt thank you to a huge list of people for their reviews! So thank you to:**

** -it-calls-meXX(Who has reviewed like every chapter! You're awesome!), Avenging Neko(You're always great to hear from! ^_^), pnginlvrs, IILesGeMeAuxII, cheshire13, TwoSexySlytherins(A special thanks to you and your fantastic reviews! You rock my socks! xD), xxangelbitexx, medd, 1poisonivy, Whatthewoot, .cake, black-misty-sky, skyglazingMaro, blackgetsuga, , Mesutora, Liz492, Poveromo, Samuel Wheeler, ZakuroUta7, BangBang, Hisashi Jeagerjaques, wolf's paradise and Ink And Death. **

**I do apologize if I missed anyone but I wanted to give a little recognition to those who had been awesome enough to give me reviews on this story. Also a big thanks to all the readers as well! Everyone rocks!**

**Hope the chapter's enjoyable and I can't wait to see what you all think of it! So…**

**Onwards! XD**

**…**

**…**

_Life is never easy is it? People scurry through their lives, rushing and struggling to make something out of themselves and for themselves, only to lose it all anyways when they die in the end. Stuck in this place, I feel like I have left many aspects of my free life very underappreciated; like feeling a simple warm breeze on your face. I stare out of my favorite window into the garden day after day and try my hardest to imagine what the wind felt like, or the sunshine. Despite my recent attempt at breaking out, I was so hyped up that I had no time to stop and enjoy everything around me. It will be summer soon; one of my favorite times of year._

_ Another thing I have realized I never truly appreciated is simple companionship. I miss friends and family even though they all turned their backs on me. Though I suppose I turned my back on them first when I ran away from them like I did. I had only wanted to protect them. _

_Yet my noble efforts were rewarded with a free one way trip to the wacko basket. Though I guess it wasn't entirely all that noble, now was it? I had run away not just to protect them from me, but because I was terrified they would discover my secret and then turn their backs on me. A vicious circle…_

_ Even now, I sit and wonder what things would have been like if I had just stayed among them and let the chips fall where they may. Would I still be here in the end, watching some goofy blond guy with a mop of a hairdo try and barter invisible sweets and such for plastic spoons and other odds and ends? _

_Probably. _

_People fear what they don't understand and what they can't explain. I tried to explain away all my problems and that certainly got me nowhere. Perhaps I belong in here. I'm not normal, not entirely human and I am dangerous. If I didn't deserve to be in here, maybe my only friend wouldn't have been so quick to believe some bullshit lies about me betraying him. _

_ Fuck, I sound like a pussy._

**…**

**…**

Walking through the halls with an orderly on either side of him, they watched him closely like he was some kind of convict being transported about in a maximum security prison. Grimmjow kept his eyes riveted on the door that led into the common room. This was his one and only shot he would get for a while to tell Ichigo about the doctor and what the creep really was. He was being transported back to his own room, but he knew what he would do if he saw that shaggy head of bright ginger-orange locks sitting by the window.

Passing the doors at a casual pace, he let his eyes dart inside and felt himself burst at the sight of Ichigo staring numbly out the window at the garden wall. Him and that fucking wall. Without a hint of warning, Grimmjow bolted from between the two orderlies and sprinted like the escapee he was to Ichigo's side, the orderlies hot on his tail.

Ichigo jumped in his seat when Grimmjow appeared at his side out of nowhere and there was a brief flash of surprised joy on his features before it was replaced with his usual scowl that held more anger than normal. Knowing he wouldn't have time to apologize or explain, Grimmjow whispered into the ginger's ear.

_"_Pinky is on page 364! You gotta watch yourself!" That was all the time Grimmjow had before the orderlies reached him.

They grabbed him by his arms and hauled him away and Grimmjow followed without a struggle but looked back over his shoulders at the ginger to see his warm, resilient chocolate orbs following his exit out of the common room. Grimmjow felt a spark of anger from the ginger as their eyes met, but it was broken as he was pulled from the common room and back out into the hall to be led to his room.

Grimmjow walked along as the orderlies clutched each of his arms to prevent another little run away stunt. He fervently hoped that Ichigo understood. He wished he had had time to say more and to apologize for being an utter dick. Ichigo was intelligent and resourceful, so Grimmjow knew that if he wasn't still pouting about being jacked in the jaw, that the ginger would figure out what he had to do. They would get out of here. They had to.

When they reached Grimmjow's room, the tiny, raven haired orderly with the big eyes was waiting at the door smiling. Grimmjow saw past her little smile and knew what this entailed. He groaned inwardly as he felt the tiniest flutter of dread in his stomach.

The director wanted to see him .

It was rare that their sessions were this close together. Sometimes Grimmjow was able to go a week without seeing the director, but apparently his prison break stunt had caught the director's interest and attention.

"Hey there. The director wants to see Mr. Jeagerjaques. Would you two mind escorting him there with me?" The petite woman asked. The two orderlies she had addressed agreed happily and she gave Grimmjow another cold and ruthless smile before she turned her back on him to lead the way.

Grimmjow didn't understand why that bitch had it out for him. She always took cruel delight out of seeing him suffer and it only made him want to grab a handful of her short black hair and beat her smiling face into a wall till that smile was left smeared across the white paint. Her big wide indigo-gray eyes were always full of malice for him.

Pushing the woman from his mind, Grimmjow realized they stood before the oaken door of the director's study-turned-laboratory. The door was opened and Grimmjow was pushed into the barely lit room beyond the yawing threshold. In the center of the room was the metal operating table that sported leather restraints.

The director was hunched over his desk writing furiously in a notebook. Without a single word or glance, he casually waved at them and then towards the metal table. Grimmjow tensed all of his muscles and put up a struggle as the three orderlies dragged him towards the table. Gritting his teeth in a silent snarl, he struggled and threw himself about in their grip but was unable to break free. Even if he did break away from them, he would only get drug back, conscious or not. That fact didn't keep him from struggling. He was a fighter and that's all there was to it.

He kicked his feet wildly and let out a loud yell of anger that reverberated throughout the room. He refused to give in and make this easy for the fuckers. Gnashing his teeth and growling out in fury and frustration, Grimmjow struggled as they attempted to lift him onto the table. He was too much of a handful for the three of them between his anger fed strength and what bit of physical power he gained from Pantera. When the needle plunged into his flesh of his upper arm, Grimmjow felt a numbness spreading throughout his body.

Fighting still, despite the sedative, Grimmjow let out another bellowing yell of rage as he kicked out with one last shred of effort before the warmth and haze of the drug overcame him. It would have been a pleasant feeling, if he hadn't known what awaited him when he woke up.

**…**

**…**

Ichigo watched as Grimmjow was pulled from the common room by two orderlies. Their eyes made contact for the briefest of moments, and Ichigo saw something swirling in the depths of Grimmjow's azure eyes. It was almost as though he looked… remorseful. Remembering his harsh words and the fist in his face, Ichigo bristled with anger as he felt his indignity rise. Their shared gaze was broke when Grimmjow was taken back out into the hall; more than likely to be deposited into his room.

Despite his anger and hurt, Ichigo couldn't deny that Grimmjow's manner had returned to normal. Whatever it was that had come over Grimmjow before was gone, but that didn't stop Ichigo from still holding it against the bluenette. He wasn't going to forgive the man that easily, and he had said as much with his expression when they had made eye contact.

Thinking back on what the feisty man had said, Ichigo pondered over what the hell he had meant. Pinky was Grimmjow's nickname for Dr. Granz, but he didn't quite understand what Grimmjow had meant when he had said the doctor was on page 364. Then he had told Ichigo to watch himself in a cautionary warning. It was all so curious.

Apparently there was something Grimmjow had discovered that Ichigo was still in the dark about and whatever it was concerned the doctor and had merited a warning to stay safe. Whatever the secret, the doctor had deemed it necessary to keep the bluenette separated from Ichigo. Sighing heavily, Ichigo sat in his chair with his head bowed and eyes closed as he thought.

_Page 364… page 364… page 364…_

He chanted the words internally like a mantra that might bestow knowledge upon him. He remembered all the books in Grimmjow's room, but how was he supposed to get in there to look at the books without the orderlies stopping him? And even if he did manage to get in, how would he know which damn book Grimmjow wanted him to look at? Besides, if he got to Grimmjow's room, couldn't he just show or him or better yet tell him?

Then it hit him.

He recalled the book about the supernatural Grimmjow had given him that was now resting under his mattress. Ichigo scoffed at the idea. Did Grimmjow really expect him to think the doctor was one of those monsters from the book? This was fucking ridiculous.

Or was it? He knew ghosts were real. He had a strange, twisted version of himself living in his head and Grimmjow had mentioned that demons were definitely real. Maybe this wasn't so much of a stretch.

With curiosity piqued, Ichigo stood casually and made his way across the common room to head down the east hall to his own room. Even though they had only just let him back in here, he didn't think they would be too suspicious if he went back to his own room of his own volition. Every orderlies' eyes followed him the way a cat eyed a mouse as he left the common room and made the short walk back to his own room.

Once in his room, he sat on the edge of his bed for a couple minutes, waiting to see if anyone walked in. When no one did, Ichigo slid off his bed in excitement and thrust his hand under the mattress to grasp at the book. Pulling it out, he sat cross legged on the floor and flipped rapidly through the pages. Turning page after page, he was so frantic to find page 364, that he flipped past it on accident. Going back he sat and stared at the page slightly dumbfounded.

_Incubi? The doctor is a sex demon?_

Ichigo was startled by this information but found it hard to believe. While the doctor could easily be believe to be a sex fiend, Ichigo found this leap a bit too Buffy for him. Taking a deep breath he read through the passages that talked in depth about incubi. Consuming the information rapidly like a dry sponge, Ichigo was a little amazed by what he read.

Incubi could take a human form though there was no firm account as to what they really looked like when not disguised as a human. It went on to state that they were very intelligent creatures that possessed supernatural gifts; among them toying with the human mind was one of them. Furthermore, he discovered that they fed from humans, whether it was flesh, fear, hate, anger, despair, blood or spiritual energy. Reading further, the book went on to discuss the talents that the creatures possessed.

_While Incubi are not exactly able to read minds, they are more than capable of discerning another being's true intent and have a knack for sensing lies._

The passage had caught Ichigo's eye the second he read it. While he still felt skeptical about the doctor being an incubus, the more Ichigo thought on it, the more he figured that it made sense. It did explain how Dr. Granz knew their plans and it also explained why Grimmjow may have believed the doctor so easily when it came to that ludicrous lie about Ichigo betraying him. Despite all of this he still found it tough to swallow.

_"Ya see ghosts and there's me! Wha' fuckin' more do ya want?_ _The proof is'n yer everyday life ya fuckwit!" _Shiro said vehemently.

He could almost see the pale man's lip curl in disdain for his hesitancy. Grudgingly, he conceded to the psychotic twin. He was right. He saw shit that couldn't be explained easily, so when it came to demon doctor's wanting to feed off of mental patients, why the fuck not believe in it? Turning his eyes back to the page he delved into the words and tried to learn more.

_Shiro, look! It says here that we can protect ourselves with some kind of talisman. It says we need a blessed item from a gypsy or the dead. Where are we-_

Ichigo's thoughts stilled as his mind came to a conclusion. The ghost in the west wing was definitely a member of the dead. If he could get it to bless something, then he could protect himself from the sex hungry monster of a doctor. But what item would he use?

Whatever it was had to be small so he could easily conceal it on his person, but at the same time would not be easily lost. If he managed to get the charm thingy, he imagined the best way to test it would be during one of his sessions. But then a problem struck him.

How would he get to the west wing? He was being watched like a hawk, and if he went anywhere near Grimmjow's vicinity, which the west wing happened to be near, the orderlies would stop him with enough sedatives that they might as well use a tranquilizer gun. Pursing his lips in thought, Ichigo tried to think of a way to make contact with the ghost.

He could recall the time the ghost had attacked Dr. Granz, but he had no idea how to get the ghost to come to him. He could put himself in danger by encouraging the doctor, but that was defeating the whole purpose.

Distantly Ichigo wondered if the doctor being an incubus was the whole reason the spirit had attacked the pink haired man in the first place. Shaking the thought from his mind, he tried to focus on the problem at hand. He needed to contact the ghost.

_"Oi King!"_ Shiro crowed loudly while Ichigo struggled to concentrate. Ichigo felt his brow raise as his eye twitched at the insistent and nagging voice that echoed in his mind. He could try to sneak out at night but they had taken to locking his door from the outside once it was lights out, so that option wasn't available. Trying to find another way, Ichigo felt his patience waning as Shiro continued to nag him like a child who wanted a cookie.

_"King! Why not try sumthin' crazy, like astral projection?"_ The suggestion was so outrageous that Ichigo actually snorted a laugh out loud. Shiro lowered his tone to an irritable growl.

_"I'm fuckin' serious ya twat! Tryin' ta help 'ere but noooooooo…" _Ichigo paused a moment and considered the option. Could he really do something like that? If he was going to accept that demons were real too, then why not astral projection? Cutting in on Shiro's agitated mumblings, Ichigo questioned his inverted twin.

_Alright, smart guy. You're the supernatural being here, so tell me; how do I do it?_

Shiro fell silent and Ichigo sat quietly waiting for an answer. Seconds ticked by and Ichigo could felt the beginnings of a migraine coming on.

_You don't know, do you?_

Shiro gave a shrug of his shoulders and a sheepish smile in Ichigo's mind. Feeling a vein pulse in irritation in his forehead, Ichigo ground his teeth in frustration.

_You don't! GAH! You're the damn fuckwit, you jackass!_

_ "Oi, I never fuckin' said I knew how ya could do it, I was jus' bein' 'elpful 'n givin' ya suggestions!" _Shiro yelled back. Trying to be productive, Ichigo scanned the table of contents in the book to see if it had anything on astral projection, but it seemed the book only had information on supernatural beings.

_UGH! Why do I even bother fucking listening to you!_

Ichigo howled at Shiro in his mind to have his crazed inner self retort with a string of maledictions. Taking a deep, calming breath, Ichigo tried to think this through logically.

Astral projection was projecting your spirit out of your body, right? If he could manage to push his aura or his spiritual energy of whatever the fuck it was out of his body, wouldn't that be the same thing? It was worth a shot. Now he just had to recognize the feel of his own aura.

Fuck.

Deciding it would probably be best that he lay down for this, Ichigo hastily shoved the book back under his mattress up near the head of his bed. Climbing up onto his bed, he lay down and settled himself on top of the blankets to get comfortable.

"_Yer really gonna try this, King?" _Ichigo gave a silent, internal nod to Shiro's question and did his best to focus.

To his amazement, Shiro relaxed in his mind and tried to not cause too much of a disturbance. It seemed that they were seeing eye to eye on yet another issue. It felt nice to get along with the grinning sadist, but at the same time it bothered him a little. Pushing his thoughts roughly aside, Ichigo let his mind go blank.

He laid there and tried his hardest to focus on finding his own inner power. He lay still for almost a minute or more till he felt a tingle on his face. Raising his hand, he scratched the little tickle and let his arm fall back to the bed. Trying to concentrate again, he found there was another tiny tickling distraction on his leg. Rubbing at it with the heel of his foot he tried once more to relax and focus, but he was getting nowhere. Every time he cleared his mind, something tickled, itched or otherwise bugged him. He was never going to get anywhere like this! Suddenly Shiro spoke up in a strange, unusually deep voice.

"_Use tha force young Skywalker." _Like a volcano of mirth, Ichigo fought to keep a lid on his laughter but in the end, the bubbling giggles won out in a spray of spit as Ichigo shook heavily with silent peals. Shiro was the last person he expected to hear a Star Wars reference from. Clapping his hands over his mouth as his eyes watered from suppressed giggles, Ichigo fought to contain himself. Taking it one step further, Shiro quelled his own watery laughter as he assumed another voice.

"_Mmm… Lost yer mind, I think ya 'ave." _Ichigo felt his eyes bulge as he fought his hardest to not let out his loud braying laugh. Curling into a ball, he shook from the hilarity of it all. It was even funnier when he realized he was in an asylum and laughing his ass off at the voices in his head. It was all too much. In one huge gasping breath Ichigo let out a strangled guffaw. Finally able to gain control of his laughter, he took huge breaths to try and ease the stitch in his side.

In a sudden moment of clarity, he realized that Shiro was trying to comfort him in his own weird way. Easing into a state of relaxation Ichigo felt a small smile still turning the corners of his lips as he lay there. Before he could focus on trying to search out the "force" within himself, Shiro spoke up again in his normal voice as Ichigo still struggled to keep form bursting into chuckles.

"_Oi King. What if ya try ignorin' all the little tickles 'n shit?"_ Pausing, Ichigo weighed the idea internally. Why not? He was laying here listening to Yoda and Obi Wan impressions whilst trying to figure out how to astral project; he'd take the advice.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo closed his eyes and got comfortable and started over, still feeling flushed and warm from his laughter. Sure enough, about a minute into trying, there was a nagging itch up in amid his hair on his scalp. Maintaining his even breaths without focusing too hard on them, he refused to budge a muscle for the itch.

It was like torture. It tickled and begged to scratched, but he made not a single move. Trying his hardest to not focus on the obnoxious sensation, Ichigo felt his restraint weaken when another little tickle appeared at his left ankle. Again he made no move to relieve the tortuous itch. Feeling like he was going to explode when another popped up on his face, Ichigo fought with all his will power to not flex even a single muscle.

It seemed like hours and hours had passed by as the tormenting prickles and irritations seemed to only multiply by the minute. More than once he almost said to hell with it all and scratched at them, but he kept an iron grip on his self control.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, the sensations stopped. It was like a switch had been flipped. Abruptly the strangest sensation overcame his entire body. It was like he had been hit with a wave of vertigo as he lay there as his body began to vibrate from within. He almost panicked when he realized his body had gone completely numb. Not sure what was happening, he still did not move in the slightest as he tried to clear his mind despite the strangest sense he got; it felt like he was on a flimsy pool air mattress amid turbulent waves at sea. In truth, it was kind of cool.

Lying on his bed completely relaxed, Ichigo set to searching within himself. Not knowing what he was really searching for, he simply let his mind drift as his body continued to stay in its relaxed and dormant-like state. He began to imagine himself float up from his body bit by bit, separating his hands, then his arms, followed by his feet, his legs and eventually his chest and head. Imagining that he was floating above himself by mere inches, he tried to imagine himself throwing his legs out of bed and standing up.

It was then a peculiar feeling came over him. He felt feather light but he couldn't get his imaginary self to move. Opening his eyes slowly, Ichigo stared up at the harshly bright, white ceiling. Something seemed off. The ceiling looked… strange, as though it were insubstantial.

Rolling his head ever so slightly towards the door he saw shifting shapes and shadows linger and coalesce about his room and in the hall. Eyes widening, a tingle ran down his spine as he watched the smoke-like forms move about. A shadow, darker than night, passed by his doorway and paused a moment before stepping in. As though someone were shouting to him from a great distance a voice reached him.

"_Mr. Kurosaki?" _

Ichigo instantly recognized the voice as one of the orderly's. Trying to throw himself up out of bed, Ichigo found he could hardly budge. Twisting as best he could, he looked over his shoulder to see his own body lying on his bed with eyes closed. Panic swiftly came over Ichigo as he realized he didn't know how to get back to his body. Taking deep breaths that were labored and painful in this state, he tried to calm himself down as the shadow of the orderly drew nearer.

Abruptly, a white and almost skeletal hand shot out of from his body beneath him to wrap itself around his torso. Cold seeped into him from the white arm as it pulled him back to his body with shocking strength.

Sitting up, Ichigo gasped as his eyes opened wide. Springing up, he crouched on his bed as he stared the completely surprised orderly in the face. It was the squinty eyed, silver haired man. His icy blue eyes were wider than teacups and filled with surprise as he stared at the now motionless and poised Ichigo. Shaking himself from the surprised trance, he began to scold Ichigo in a tone of mock petulance for going to sleep before it was time for bed, though he got the feeling that it was more for scaring him than anything else.

Ichigo mumbled a not so heartfelt apology and watched as he turned to leave in a huff. Dropping his seat back to the bed, he crossed his legs and leaned his back against the wall, glad to be back in his own skin.

"_Tha' was a close one, King. Good thing I pulled ya back a'fore he shook ya or sumthin'." _Shiro's voiced cut into his thoughts. Ichigo smiled weakly to himself and offered a silent nod as thanks to his demented twin. Then a thought struck him.

_You didn't come out of my body with me?_

"_Well I did fer a moment, but then sumthin' pulled me back though I wasn't able ta move yer body since ya weren't completely out yet. It seemed sumthin' was keepin' ya in too." Shiro said._

Ichigo thought back to when he tried to imagine himself getting out of bed but couldn't. It certainly seemed as though there had been a tether of sorts at the core of his being that prevented him from going any farther. Then he realized it.

_I did it. It's possible. I DID IT!_

Smiling like the cat that ate the canary, Ichigo punched the air in a sign of triumph. Wanting to try again immediately, he realized that if another orderly walked by, they would try to wake him. Instantly his mood dropped as he realized he would have to wait for dark before he could continue. Hoping this wouldn't take too long to get the hang of, Ichigo lithely hopped out of bed and began making his way back to the common room.

Though he knew Grimmjow wouldn't be there, he had still hoped he might catch a glimpse of his bright, sky blue hair, but he wasn't there. Taking his usual seat, Ichigo sat up tall as he watched the garden with renewed purpose.

Maybe this astral projection trick would be useful in more ways than one.

**…**

**…**

A pained scream echoed and reverberated about the room before it died out as the screamer lost their breath. There were only a few seconds of silence before another shriek of agony was torn from a barely conscious man before it too died out.

Grimmjow lay strapped to the table covered in sweat as he panted in indescribable pain. With deep cyan eyes hooded from hurt and exhaustion, Grimmjow tried to focus on the man beside the table. Unable to focus his vision, he let his head roll to the side limply. His face was drenched in sweat and devoid of expression beyond a haggard look of pain. His wild tangle of blue hair was wet with sweat and lay matted to his head from his previous struggles while on the table. Gritting his teeth, he heaved breaths as he braced himself for whatever came next.

The man beside the table whom he knew to be the director, turned around briefly and grabbed something before turning back to the specimen before him. Grimmjow winced but didn't cry out as another tiny copper claw was inserted under his skin. He knew his torso was covered in the insidious, electrode like devices but he honestly couldn't feel much beyond the pain and he barely had the strength to keeps his eyes open let alone lift his head to look down at himself.

"Subject is withstanding stage two but I am not finding the results I desire. His alternate self refuses to respond to the pain." Grimmjow foggily registered the director's voice as the diabolical man took recorded notes. The bluenette's upper lip twitched weakly as he gave a valiant effort at a smirk. Pain wasn't going to get the doctor anywhere with him. Grimmjow was tough and pain wasn't going to break him. He had lived his whole life with pain.

His father died when he was four after his mother had shot him. He had been in the midst of choking Grimmjow when she had done it. Grimmjow's father was anything but a good man and had a partiality for alcohol which made him even more belligerent and violent than when he was sober. Safe to say Grimmjow didn't cry over his father's death.

When Grimmjow was little, he tried to tell his parents about the things he saw and the big, ghostly cat that spoke to him, but his father only grew aggravated by the talk. Now Grimmjow knew the reason his father hated talk about ghosts was because he could see them too, though instead of ignoring them, he drank them away.

After the death of his father, Grimmjow had lived with his mother till he was thirteen. It was then she had thrown herself in front of a train. Over the years she had been worn down by her depression and just couldn't take anymore. Grimmjow loved his mother, but he would have been lying if he said she was a good mother. By the age of seven, Grimmjow learned to cook his own meals, wash his own clothes and take himself to school. It was sink or swim, and Grimmjow took to caring for himself like a fish to water.

He didn't resent his mother, but he certainly wasn't proud of her either. After she had died, a distant uncle took him in and helped him finish school and got him his first job a security guard at a mill. After school, he helped Grimmjow move into his own place and even offered him another job with his own company that did maintenance work on older homes. While his uncle had been a stern, quiet sort of man, Grimmjow still respected him and owed him a lot. Then that complacent life was ripped from him in a twist of events that landed him here.

Pain was a part of life and Grimmjow knew it was there to stay.

"If physical pain fails again, I may have to move on to stage three and bring in an external factor to induce a psychological or emotional response. I believe the Kurosaki patient will work nicely as there seems to be a bond between him and the subject." Grimmjow tensed involuntarily at the mention of Ichigo. He fervently prayed the ginger had figured out his message and was working on a way to protect his ass and maybe even bust them out of there. If he wasn't still sulking over the punch in the face of course.

Grimmjow had no more room for thought in his mind as another current of electricity ripped through his body. The force of the pain arched his back off the table as he let out another scream that sounded like an animal in pain. Howling in agony, his voice cut out as his vocal chords could no longer take the abuse. The pain stopped and he dropped heavily back to the table.

_"Remain steadfast." _Pantera's voice reached him. Grimmjow felt a bit of strength return to him, as Pantera gave him a bit more of his energy. This session was wearing the ancient being down as well as he kept giving Grimmjow more and more of strength to withstand the torture. Grimmjow just hand to hold on; if Pantera took complete control, things would become downright biblical and Grimmjow would probably die in the process, which was an outcome neither of them wanted.

Another abrupt jot of searing pain coursed through his body as he felt like he was on fire. He would have screamed if he still had a voice, but when he opened his mouth, only harsh choking raspy breaths could be heard.

This had to be Hell.

**…**

**…**

Ichigo had whiled away the day and bided his time till the time for the patients to be put to bed arrived. He had spent most of his time in his chair in the common room and silently observed those around him as well as playing a bit of a twisted game of "I Spy" with Shiro; it was like playing with yourself but not knowing what it was you were spying.

It kind of aggravated Ichigo that Shiro knew what he thought but he couldn't tell what Shiro thought. His inverted twin had guffawed and crowed loudly about how Ichigo just need to improve in controlling his thoughts. That was when he gave the game up and settled for watching the others around him.

During his time in the common room, he had watched the uptight and proud fellow with the long black hair be drug from the room to not return at all. Ichigo had a sinking feeling about it, but couldn't let it bother him too much. The guy probably did something to land himself in iso after being taken from the common room.

The rest of the day went on uneventfully other than the usual babblings from the bald guy and the spiky haired new guy starting another fight. After he had finished his dinner and waited a touch impatiently in the common room, it was time at last. Ushered off to bed, they locked his door and Ichigo smirked as he thought of how the lock wouldn't stop him.

Settling into a comfortable position on his back, Ichigo lay there and simply waited, repeating the steps he took last time.

He was going to succeed in this, no matter what it took.

**…**

**…**

**Determined Ichigo is determined! :D And poor Grimmy. :(**

**The next chapter is already underway and now that I look over it, I realize it is probably going to be much longer than the other chapters since I don't want to divide it up. I can therefore conclude that the next chapter will probably not be a cliffhanger. :P**

**Until the next chapter guys! Love ya all!**

**~Aurelia**


	10. Chapter 9

**Ahhhhhh yeah! New chapter and as I said, this one is a good four pages longer that what I normally post. It's over 2,000 words more and I would have kept going, but I had to cut myself off somewhere. And as I promised it isn't a major cliffhanger at the end. :P**

**I really hope you all enjoy the chapter!**

**…**

**…**

The first thing he was aware of when brutal consciousness was restored to him was the pain. Everything ached, burned and throbbed. It felt like he had been thrown into a pool of hungry sharks and then electrocuted. Thinking back to the events that had left him like this, that about what had happened; only the hungry shark had been the director. Groaning, he opened his eyes to find that it was still dark outside.

He sighed heavily and fought to suppress the ruthless pain that assaulted his poor, abused body. He had made it through the director's torture session without caving, but the second they laid him down on a bed in the infirmary, he was out like a light. What little sleep he had caught did next to nothing to help the state of hurt he was in. The orderlies and nurses would take care of him though. This was the worst torture ever; hurt and harm then heal and fix so that you could do it all over again. He'd give that director a dose of his own treatment if he ever got the chance.

Grimmjow's thoughts then meandered to his favorite ginger. He wondered if Ichigo had figured something out to help himself yet. Did he understand what his little message had meant? He hoped so. While he couldn't see the berry pouting like a little bitch and refusing to follow along with his message, Grimmjow could see him figuring it out and being skeptical. After Grimmjow's freaky brainwashing incident, the ginger might even think that he truly was insane.

_"You worry too much. I imagine the young man is doing just fine. I cannot see him giving up now after you have helped him realized how succulent freedom tastes." _Pantera's silky baritone that sounded so much like his own voice, echoed throughout Grimmjow's mind. Smirking he gave the spectral panther a retort.

_Oh yeah? And what exactly was this "succulent" freedom I gave him a… taste of?_

Grimmjow chuckled as Pantera gave a slight scoff. Grimmjow knew exactly what Pantera had meant, but he enjoyed being the more perverse out of the two of them. Pantera did not deign to reply but Grimmjow got the sense the panther was grinning. They both had certain… appetites, and Pantera had liked the little rendezvous between the two men almost as much as Grimmjow had. It was then Grimmjow swore to himself that when they got out of this place, he'd make sure the ginger wouldn't be able to walk for a week.

Closing his eyes again, he conjured up an image of the younger man's face and tried to study and memorize the ginger's features. Despite only knowing Ichigo for a short time, he recalled his features with rather amazing clarity. He had an almost photographic memory. He felt a pang in his chest that had nothing to do with the director's treatments. He missed the ginger.

"_As entertaining as this more tender side of you is, you really should get more rest. You need to be ready for whatever comes. If your little boyfriend finds you a way out and you are too weak to act on it, then you would be, as you would say… fucked."_

Grimmjow gave a stern, internal nod at the panther's assessment. He did need rest. Lying here awake pouting like a lovesick girl wasn't going to do shit for him. Grumbling slightly at Pantera's use of the word "tender", Grimmjow tried his best to relax and get more sleep despite the ungodly pain he was in. He lay there for a several minutes and forced his mind empty, when something caught his attention. It was like a nagging presence somewhere in the building; like an aura had been amplified somehow.

Eyes snapping open wide, he realized he recognized the feel of the aura. It was Ichigo's. Grimmjow felt a little confused. He knew that if he focused, he would be able to feel the ginger's aura in his room even from this distance, but he hadn't been trying. Knowing Ichigo's aura was still in his room on the other end of the building from the infirmary, Grimmjow tired to make sense of it.

"_He's projecting his soul out of his body." _Pantera said with simplicity. Grimmjow felt all of his air leave his lungs in a whoosh. Ichigo was using astral projection? While it was highly dangerous for someone unskilled, Grimmjow felt himself slightly in awe of the ginger's raw, natural talent before a tinge of jealousy took him over. He had never been able to manage that. His jealousy was then replaced with pride when he realized what this meant.

Ichigo could move about as he pleased to seek a way out for them without being seen.

Too excited to sleep, Grimmjow kept his senses trained on Ichigo's detached spirit. Even at this distance the ginger's aura exuded a feeling of gentle warmth that soothed the lightest of Grimmjow's pains. Even though it seemed things could only get darker, he felt a sense of peace. Here, in the middle of this wretched place, he lay in agony yet he couldn't feel any more tranquil.

As retarded as it sounded, he could feel himself swelling with so many emotions at once, all because of the warmth of Ichigo's spirit. Feeling a soft smile curve his lips into a serene expression, Grimmjow felt something he hadn't felt in a long time.

Hope.

Pure, fragile, genuine hope.

**…**

**…**

_Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! _

Ichigo stood beside his bed and looked down at his own body as he did a goofy dance of excitement and slight trepidation. He had done it! He had managed to project his aura outside of his body! Looking down at himself, he saw a tenuous, wavering miasma of gold mist that went from his incorporeal chest to his body, connecting the two where the heart was. Unsure as to what this meant, Ichigo thought he would test something out.

Taking a struggling breath, he turned towards the door of his room. Taking a step, he thought he would check the halls. Each step seemed to take mountains of effort as he went and he could feel himself growing fainter and weaker with each step. He was only able to make it to the door, but not beyond. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the strange gold tether between him and his body was stretched tight.

_What do you think Shiro?_

He asked his inner self. Ichigo waited for a few seconds, but no reply came. Realizing Shiro must still be in his body, Ichigo tried to puzzle out how he could get his psychotic twin out, as he couldn't leave him in his body to wreak havoc. Returning to his bedside where his body lay, he found the steps back were much easier.

Curious.

Trying to puzzle out what was going on, Ichigo studied the strange rope of gold mist. Was that his aura? Was that what connected him to Shiro? Or was it like a lifeline that enabled him to return to his body? Did he dare try and sever it? Or should he try to pull Shiro out with it? Deciding he would get nowhere just standing there thinking about it, Ichigo reached out with his insubstantial looking hands. Grasping the misty tether, he found it felt incredibly solid and was very warm.

Tightening his grip around the strange rope, Ichigo took a deep breath and pulled for all he was worth. There was a blinding flash of gold light and a huge thunderclap without and sound that shook the room and sent him flying backwards to land on his ass, as the rope vanished from his hands and disappeared inside his own misty and incorporeal form. All the strange swirling shadows around him vanished and his vision returned somewhat to normal, though everything still seemed brighter.

Wincing at the pain in his ass and his head, Ichigo brought his hands up to his head as he tried to assuage the headache like pain. Looking up to the bed, he saw his body sitting up with a look of shock and surprise in his face. Suddenly Ichigo froze in panic.

His body was moving…

… without him in it.

"The fuck!" Ichigo cried. His body jumped in surprise and looked at him with wide, confused golden orbs that swam in a sea of black.

"King?" His body hoarsely whispered in the strange, watery tones that he knew so well.

"Shiro!" Ichigo couldn't believe what was going on. Feeling his breathing escalate, he could feel the beginnings of hyperventilation coming on. Pausing, he realized he could breathe easier now. Jumping up and closing the distance between him and his Shiro-occupied-body in a flash, he found movement was easier as well. Grasping his own body about the shoulders, Ichigo found that he could easily grab onto it. Shaking himself, Ichigo heard the panic in his voice.

"What the fuck is going on, Shiro! Why didn't you come out with me!" He shouted. Shiro still sat dumbly on the edge of the bed inside Ichigo's body. His eyes were wide and his jaw was agape as Ichigo shook him by the shoulders.

"I-I tried, King. I couldn't." He mumbled in obvious confusion. Neither of them had a single clue as to what was going on. Feeling vulnerable outside of his body, as though a simple breeze might blow him away, Ichigo desperately wanted back inside his own body.

"Can I even get back in!" Ichigo cried, still shouting. Shiro shrugged his shoulders numbly and as if on cue, Ichigo's hands that grasped his own shoulders sank into his body. It felt like a whirlpool was drawing him in. Pulling back out of instinct, his hands freed themselves from his physical body and Ichigo fell back onto his rear again.

Grumbling about the soreness in his poor bottom, Ichigo shook his head. This was fucking nuts. Shiro regained a measure of composure and closed his mouth as he watched Ichigo go onto his knees. They sat still for a brief second in deathly quite as Ichigo reached his hand back up and placed it on his body's chest. Willing himself to enter his own body his hand sunk inside and the same whirlpool like force tried to draw the rest of him in.

Shiro stared slightly stunned at the hand disappearing into the chest of the body he was in. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo pulled his hand out gently. Looking at each other, a smile seemed to split their faces at the exact same time.

Knowing he could return to his body at any time he wanted, Ichigo felt a little better about all of this. While he didn't want to leave Shiro in his body, he knew the pale twin couldn't get into any mischief as he was locked in the room. Debating for a moment if he should make Shiro promise to stay out of trouble, Ichigo quickly discarded the thought. He knew the confrontational Shiro would consider it a challenge of sorts and would only behave to the contrary.

Standing up, Ichigo looked over his shoulder at the door. He didn't know how much time he had or how this all worked, but he knew he wasn't going to get anything done just sitting here staring at himself.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Ok?" Ichigo said to his Shiro controlled body. Shiro nodded and began staring at the hands he controlled, as if they weren't real.

"You ok?" Ichigo asked Shiro.

"Y-yeah. It's jus'… weird since yer not in here wit' me. I can't es'plain it. I feel… kinda 'eavy and a little wobbly." Ichigo noticed that his Shiro shivered slightly.

"You look cold. It's your job now to take care of our body. Try to rest some. You might feel better if you lay down under the blankets." Ichigo said with a surprising measure of kindness.

He didn't know why he had said "our body" but it had felt right. Shiro nodded woodenly and climbed under the covers. Making sure everything was alright, Ichigo faced to the door that led out of his bedroom. Taking confident steps forward, he stepped through the door and into the darkened halls.

Passing through the door was easier than breathing. It was as though it hadn't even been there at all. Looking down the hallway, he saw an orderly staring directly at him. Freezing in fright, he stood stone still as he watched the orderly continue watching him with a bored expression. Realizing something was up, Ichigo stepped to the side and noted that the orderly's eyes didn't follow him.

Letting out a breath with a sheepish smile, he realized that the orderly couldn't see him. He imagined the only reason Shiro could see him had to do with the fact that the pale version of himself wasn't exactly human. Shaking his head with wry amusement, he strode easily down the hall towards the bored looking orderly.

Standing less than a foot from the man, Ichigo saw it was the silver haired man he had startled earlier. Feeling a little mischievous, Ichigo started making faces at the fox faced man with squinty eyes. Reaching out, he tried to poke the man between his almost closed eyes, but found his finger went right through. The orderly shivered and scratched at the spot between his eyes but made no other sign that he had felt Ichigo's ghostly touch.

Sighing, Ichigo turned and let the orderly be. He had work to do. Wandering down the western hall, Ichigo paused at Grimmjow's door. As much as he wanted to go in and see the man and demand some answers he wasn't even sure if the bluenette would be able to see him. Besides, he knew what Grimmjow would say. He would tell him to find a way to get the ghost to help them by blessing an item, which was the right course of action.

Ichigo squared his shoulders and continued down the hall till reaching the double doors that led into the west wing. Feeling no trace of the spirit's presence, Ichigo set his jaw and walked through the metal doors. As he passed through the doors he could feel the residual energy from the spirit on them and it made passing through a little difficult, as though there were some sort of spiritual threshold or barrier.

He had a feeling the ghost would be in the filthy room scattered with leaves and muddy handprints, so Ichigo set off down the main hall of the west wing. The farther he went the colder the air around him became and he had to fight the desire to turn around and leave. He could feel the spirit's presence around him, watching his every move.

When he came to stand in the doorway of the filthy room, he was not surprised to see the spirit standing there. Being on equal terms with the being now, Ichigo noted that it looked a little different. The spirit's shoulder length black hair was cleaner as was his overall appearance. He wore the same white scrubs though they were no longer torn and were a pristine white. His skin was the same pearly grey color and his eyes were the same emerald green.

Staring into the emotionless face of the ghost, Ichigo could feel the spirit's curiosity emanating from it with an almost tangible feel. They stood like that in silence for several moments, just watching each other, unsure of what to do. Ichigo smiled weakly, still a little nervous about the whole affair but took a breath and opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to mind.

"Hi." He said with a brighter smile. The spirit's manner didn't waver in the slightest but he could feel the chill that poured forth from him recede slightly.

"You're not dead. How?" The spirit's voice was soft, and was even pleasant despite the equal lack of emotion that was evident in his face. Ichigo had never seen a ghost with such a… dead attitude, for lack of a better description.

"No. I'm not dead. I merely forced my spirit out of my body to come talk to you since they have started locking me in my room at night. Otherwise I would have come in my body." Ichigo said simply, offering another hearty smile. Still feeling on edge he did his best to let his naturally friendly nature shine through, though it was doing little to affect the ghost's blank demeanor. The chill was still very prominent in the room.

"Talk to me? Why? I am dead." The spirit said simply with apathy. He didn't seem to be able to grasp the concept that someone would want to talk to him. He was probably used to being feared by the few people who had ever seen him while everyone else was ignorant of his existence. Feeling honesty was the best policy, Ichigo told the spirit the simple truth.

"Because I would like to ask for your help." Ichigo could feel the chill receding farther and farther and he took that as a good sign. Stepping forward, he smiled and introduced himself.

"My name's Ichigo. I also wanted to thank you for stopping that inhuman doctor like you did not long ago." For the first time ever, Ichigo watched in amazement as the ghost's face registered the tiniest bit of emotion. At the mention of the doctor a twitch of anger crossed his face and flashed through his big green eyes before it was replaced with deadpan equanimity.

"Yes. Of course. I did not want to see another suffer like me." The spirit replied simply. Ichigo was going to speak up again but he got the feeling there was more the ghost wanted to say. Stepping forward too, the ghost did not offer a smile but his voice let the smallest sliver of friendliness show as he introduced himself.

"I am… Ulquiorra." The pale spirit said almost shyly. Ichigo smiled warmly at the break through with the spirit.

"Nice to meet you, Ulquiorra." Ichigo said with true delight as he gave Ulquiorra another big smile. Ulquiorra looked down at his feet and shuffled as though nervous. Feeling genuinely curious about the spirit, Ichigo wanted to know more about him.

"Ulquiorra, can you tell me about yourself?" Ichigo watched as the ghost cocked his head in an inquisitive manner. He could feel the confusion in the air that the spirit exuded when he asked the question.

"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked.

"I mean, I want to know more about you. How'd you wind up here?" Ichigo watched as Ulquiorra stood and watched him with large, impassive green eyes. When the spirit didn't respond, Ichigo took the chance to tell the pale Ulquiorra about why he was here.

"See, I'm here because I have the ability to see spirits like you. I also have a… spirit of sorts that lives inside my body with me. You've kind of met him; his name's Shiro and I'm sorry for him attacking you. He's not all that good when it comes to being friendly." Ichigo said with a laugh. Seeing that Ulquiorra looked honestly interested in what he was saying, he continued.

"Well, my family got worried about me when I told them I could see ghosts and about the spirit in my head, so they sent me here. I made a friend; Grimmjow was the blue haired man you saw me with in here earlier. We're trying to get away from here since Dr. Granz is trying to hurt me and the director is hurting Grimmjow. It's why I'm here to ask for your help." Ichigo got the sense that Ulquiorra knew exactly what the doctor was, but he explained it anyways.

"You see the doctor isn't human. He's an incubus and-" The ghost cut him off.

"He is not a demon. And your Shiro is not a spirit." Ichigo paused, unsure of what to say in response to Ulquiorra's words. He was about to ask more questions when Ulquiorra spoke up again.

"I have been dead for half a century. I know what demons are; I've seen them and the doctor is no demon, nor is your Shiro a spirit." Pausing for a moment, as if surprised he had said that many words consecutively, Ulquiorra took an audible breath and began his story.

"I was sent here about sixty years ago. I too, could see spirits and it frightened me. People thought I was not sound of mind, so I was sent here to be treated. I hated it here and when it became apparent that I would not be cured, I was committed to live here till I died. I had no family, so no one would have missed me. All those years ago, the man you call Dr. Granz was my doctor too. I did not like him and I fought him every step of the way when it came to our sessions.

"He would twist my mind and toy with my sense of reality till I really was insane. He wanted things from me that I was not willing to give until one day I wavered. I was tired and unable to continue fighting him. That was the day he killed me and consumed my flesh as sustenance. Only now in death do I know that he is not human, but I know he is no demon either. I do not know what he is. I have watched him feed from other patients over the years and have seen how he does not age a day."

Ichigo stood dumbly and took in all the information that he had been given. Did that mean that Grimmjow was wrong? Thinking back to what the book had said, he remembered how it had stated that incubi could feed on the flesh of the living, which matched Ulquiorra's story. Was it possible the ghost was wrong, or maybe even the book was wrong? Would the blessing of the dead no longer be enough to protect him? That would mean that he had wasted all this effort for nothing.

No. There was no harm in trying the charm. He couldn't just give in. He had to struggle for the sake of not just himself but Grimmjow as well. Looking back up at Ulquiorra, the spirit watched him impassively, waiting for him to speak.

"I would still like to ask for your help nonetheless." Ichigo said with another kind smile. He watched as Ulquiorra's face seemed to soften in its expression.

"I do not wish to see more suffer as I did. What would you have of me?" Ichigo's smile brightened heartily at the spirit's response.

"I need an item blessed by the dead to act as a charm against whatever the doctor is. Is there some small item here in the west wing you could put your blessing on that I could take with me?" Ichigo asked earnestly. Ulquiorra paused as an air of thoughtfulness surrounded him as he thought on it.

"You would not be able to carry the physical in the state you are in now. Just try to pick up one of the leaves on the floor." Ulquiorra said. Ichigo recalled how his hand had gone through the orderly earlier. Stooping down, he tried to snatch up a dead leaf, but found his hand passed through it.

"You are different. In your natural state you can touch the supernatural as though it were corporeal. If I give you a spiritual item, then you could bring it back to your body without a problem and you should be able to grasp it once back in your body." Thinking on what Ulquiorra said, it seemed to make sense.

"Alright. So what do we use?" He asked Ulquiorra. The ghost stepped closer as he spoke, till they were less than a foot apart.

"I have an idea, but you must do two things for me first. It is but fair." Ichigo felt a little wariness in his gut, but he couldn't stop now. Nodding silently that he understood, he stared into Ulquiorra's suddenly hard and determined eyes.

"First, you must promise me that you will kill that monster that did this to me. Only after I know he is dead and gone, can I put myself to rest. Do not think that he will let you leave this place without a fight; he hungers for you and you would be best off if you killed him." Ulquiorra's voice was laced with venom and hate for the doctor who had killed him. Drawing his brows into his usual scowl, Ichigo set his jaw and nodded firmly.

"I'll do it." Ichigo said simply. He knew any other words would be superfluous in this oath. Not only would he protect himself, but he could earn this poor soul vengeance and peace. Ulquiorra gave a satisfied nod.

"And the second request?" Ichigo asked a little curious. Ulquiorra shifted as though uncomfortable. Ichigo was astonished to see the slightest tinge of pink mantle the spirit's cheeks to contrast with his deathly grey complexion. It was kind of cute. Looking up to watch Ichigo with big, green eyes, Ulquiorra finally spoke.

"I would ask to be able to touch you." Ichigo could feel the heat rising in his own face at the odd request. Unsure of what to say in response, he merely smiled and nodded. He watched as Ulquiorra's slender grey hand rose from his side to pause hesitantly at his face.

Ichigo could see how Ulquiorra's hand trembled slightly as it wavered uncertainly inches from his left cheek. He could feel the slight wave of cold that emanated from the spirit's hand. Looking into Ulquiorra's eyes he smiled encouragingly, trusting that this would not end catastrophically. As if he drew courage from Ichigo's smile, Ulquiorra took a deep breath and let his fingertips glide across the skin of Ichigo's cheek.

Ichigo was shocked when he felt the petal soft fingers caress his face gently yet could not feel the usual chill that the spirit exuded. It felt, kind of warm. A sensation of stillness and serenity came over him at the ghost's touch. It was the gentlest thing he had ever experienced from a ghost. It was a lot like the feeling you got when someone ran their fingers through your hair.

Closing his eyes, Ichigo let the warmth spread through his body as he felt utterly relaxed. It was so different from the bone crushing despair he had originally experienced from Ulquiorra. Feeling another hand on the other side of his face, he sighed contentedly as the spirit cupped his face gently. When he felt a soft brushing of flesh at his lips, his eyes snapped open to see Ulquiorra planting a simple and chaste kiss onto his lips.

With a content sigh, Ulquiorra pulled back with a look of stillness and calm upon his placid features. Ichigo was a little stunned by the kiss, but felt he was unharmed. Smiling sheepishly, he wondered how Grimmjow would react to this news. It was then Ichigo decided it would be best not to tell the fiery bluenette.

"My apologies. I did not intend to kiss you, but you have such a warm and welcoming spirit. I found myself drawn to it ever since you came here." Ulquiorra said with a surprising air of bashfulness. Ichigo chuckled and ran a hand through his hair awkwardly.

"No big deal." He said to the spirit. They stood silent for a moment or two before they both snapped out of it. Ulquiorra's lips twitched ever so slightly in a semblance of a smile.

"Now, about your charm of protection." Ulquiorra said. Holding a hand up, Ichigo watched as the fingernail on the spirit's forefinger suddenly grew to a length of about three inches. Consumed with curiosity, he watched as Ulquiorra lifted a lock of his black hair and severed it from his head with the fingernail. The pale ghost's nail returned to normal and Ichigo continued to observe in a fascinated manner as Ulquiorra pulled a loose thread from his shirt sleeve and tied it tightly around the fair sized lock of hair.

Cupping the lock of hair in his hands, Ulquiorra closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. A soft, pale green light began to glow around the lock of hair as Ulquiorra's face twitched with another smile. The glow receded into the lock of hair and Ulquiorra lifted his head and opened his eyes to look at Ichigo. Handing the soft, feathery strands of midnight black hair to Ichigo, he stepped back and watched the orangette with something Ichigo couldn't quite name.

"There. I hope this will aid you." The ghost said softly. Ichigo held the blessed item in his hand and stared down at it. He had done it. He had received the blessing of the dead. It was hopefully going to work as some form of protection. Now all he and Grimmjow had to do was find a way out of this place. Looking back up at Ulquiorra, Ichigo closed the distance between them and enfolded the surprised spirit in a tight hug.

"Thank you." He whispered. Releasing the slightly blushing ghost, Ichigo stepped back and gave Ulquiorra yet another bright smile.

"I promise I'll take care of the doctor for you." With that, Ichigo waved goodbye to Ulquiorra and left the west wing.

**…**

**…**

Having drifted off to sleep, Grimmjow was startled awake when he felt the insistent warmth of a familiar presence. Groaning at the pain he felt as he woke, Grimmjow blearily blinked his eyes into focus. He felt a smirk spread across his lips as he made out the form of the being the knelt beside his bed.

"Mmmmmf… hey Ichi." Grimmjow said with a voice rough from sleep. The ginger looked normal and solid to him, but if he focused hard enough he could see through him.

"Y-you can see me?" Ichigo asked shrilly. Grimmjow chuckled and winced at the pain in his abdomen it brought. It was evident Ichigo didn't expect to be found looking in on him.

"Of course I can see ya, ginger. I can see the supernatural. Just because you aren't in your body doesn't mean I won't see you. Besides, I can feel your aura; it's hard to miss since it's so warm." Grimmjow heard Ichigo mutter a response under his breath.

"You're not the only one to think so." Grimmjow had a feeling it had something to do with the ghost in the west wing, but didn't question the ginger about it. He was glad to speak with the ginger.

"Sooo…" Grimmjow began. "Uhm, you figure out my message?" Grimmjow watched as Ichigo's brows knit and a deeper scowl than usual took over his face. Realizing he had just started this whole conversation out wrong, he waited for the bitching out he knew he was going to get.

"That's it?" Ichigo asked, his voice full of quiet anger. "No 'Hey Ichigo, I'm sorry for punching you and believing that you ratted us out.' Or how about 'Sorry for being a complete douche bag Ichigo. Please punch me to make us even.' Honestly, you think it was just going to be as easy as asking me whether or not I figured out the doctor was an inhuman monster who ate people!" Ichigo's voice spiraled to up to end in a near yell.

Grimmjow winced at the angry words he knew he deserved. He wouldn't make excuses; it wasn't his style and he knew it would only piss Ichigo off more. Sighing, Grimmjow looked deep into Ichigo's molten brown eyes that swirled with too many emotions.

"I'm sorry." He muttered softly, gritting his teeth as he did so. Apologizing wasn't his forte and Ichigo had better get it though his skull quickly because he sure as fuck wasn't going to grovel. Ichigo sat at Grimmjow's bedside staring stonily into his eyes for a moment before his expression finally softened.

"I forgive you." He said gently with an expression of tenderness. Before Grimmjow could say anything, Ichigo gave a glance down to the bluenette's bandaged abdomen.

"Was it another session with the director?" Grimmjow merely nodded in reply as he clenched his teeth in anger and frustration. A pained look crossed Ichigo's features and Grimmjow wished suddenly that he could make everything better. It was ludicrous really; here he was bandaged up and weaker than a kitten wishing he could make Ichigo feel better.

_"You're such a __**prince.**__" _Pantera said with a teasing air of smugness. Grimmjow merely growled internally at the spectral panther. His attention was brought back to Ichigo as the ginger gently let his hand skim over Grimmjow's bandaged stomach. He flinched in preparation for the pain of the contact but was relieved when all he felt was a gentle, tingling warmth.

"You know, it took me a little bit to find you. I had thought you'd be in your room but when you weren't in there I figured you'd be here." Ichigo said quietly as he continued to absently caress the bluenette's wounded torso.

Grimmjow was amazed when his pain slowly began to recede from his weary muscles. Sighing in relief, hesmiled as Ichigo drew his hand away.

"Thanks." He said to the ginger. "That actually made it feel better. You have kind of a healing aura and it is rather unique." Ichigo shrugged his shoulders and smiled in that goofy way what made him look embarrassed. Struggling to prop himself up on his elbows, Grimmjow motioned for Ichigo to come closed with one of his hands.

Ichigo leaned in till their faces were inches apart. Eating up the distance between them, Grimmjow pushed himself forward and crushed his lips to Ichigo's in heated kiss. The ginger instantly responded and brought his hands up to clutch at Grimmjow's hair as he let the bluenette's tongue tangle with his own. Instantly the kiss brought a heat to Grimmjow's loins and he felt the hunger and desire for Ichigo stir inside him.

The urges and needs swirled and rose within him as he moaned throatily into the kiss as Ichigo's hand dropped to grip the hair at the base of his head. Ichigo threw himself into the kiss and let it burn with a satisfying intensity that drew a lusty purr from Grimmjow. Sitting up to take it another step further, Grimmjow winced in pain as the wounds across his abdomen flared to life.

Hissing a breath through his teeth, Grimmjow dropped back to the bed with a grunt. Ichigo's smoldering eyes of warm chocolate filled with emotion as he saw his friend in pain. Glancing down, Ichigo let a small smile spread across his face as he saw Grimmjow's prominent erection.

The bluenette heaved a sigh, knowing he was in no condition for the activities that would relieve him of the burden. But surprise painted his face when Ichigo gave a demure smile as he moved onto the bed to straddle Grimmjow's legs.

Warm, feather light touches at the waist band of his thin pants had the excitement stirring within him as he realized what Ichigo had intended. Gently, Ichigo pulled the waistband of Grimmjow's pants lower with one hand while the other lightly caressed the bluenette's wounded abdomen with soft touches from his warm aura. It was so erotic and sensual when Grimmjow realized that it was Ichigo's soul that was touching him and inciting this burning desire. He had never felt so aroused before with anyone else than he did with Ichigo.

Breathing heavily, Grimmjow opened his searching cyan eyes and what he saw had him nearly bursting with need. His eyes met with fiery warm brown orbs that stared up at him with such intensity as orange brows knitted together in a fierce expression that was softened by the curving smile on soft pink lips that hovered inches over his erect flesh.

He could feel the warmth of Ichigo's spirit ghost across his skin like the rays of the sun. In that moment his breath was stolen away as full lips wetly kissed every inch of his erection. Fisting his strong hands in the sheets, Grimmjow struggled to see straight but it was a losing battle so he closed his eyes and surrendered to the delicious wet, heat that enveloped his cock.

Another throaty purr rumbled up from deep within Grimmjow's chest as he felt Ichigo take in his entire length all the way down to the base. With a foggy thought, he distantly remembered the ginger had no gag reflex but the thought was again swept away as Ichigo began a steady rhythm. Reaching down, Grimmjow let his hands tangle in Ichigo's hair which drew a deep moan from the ginger that sent Grimmjow reeling at the feel of the vibrations.

Feeling the fire burning slowly within his gut he knew that if Ichigo kept this up he was going to lose himself. Looking down, he made eye contact again with the ginger and he felt himself swept up and blown away by the heat in the younger man's eyes. As if knowing what was on the bluenette's mind, Ichigo released Grimmjow's cock with one simple wet, sucking pop. Grimmjow let out a slight whine at the loss of contact but was quickly preoccupied by Ichigo's devouring kiss.

He was so wrapped up in the hungry kiss that he hadn't notice Ichigo was suddenly without pants. They broke the kiss, both surfacing for sweet air that had been heated by their moist hot breath. Grimmjow watched and drew in shaky breath as Ichigo slipped a finger inside himself. Their eyes never left one another as they delved into another kiss. It was the most satisfying kiss yet it left Grimmjow wanting even more. It was the perfect form of pleasure.

Before Grimmjow realized it, Ichigo was poised over the top of him with the head of Grimmjow's cock pushing gently at his entrance. In a single moment of pleasurable tension, Grimmjow felt himself melt the second Ichigo plunged down. Fully sheathed inside the delicious heat that was Ichigo, Grimmjow briefly wondered if this was what nirvana was supposed to be like.

Being sure to not touch Grimmjow's wounds, Ichigo set a steady and swift pace. Grimmjow threw his head back and moaned as his hands flew to firmly grasp Ichigo's slender yet muscular hips. When Grimmjow tried to move with Ichigo, the ginger gently rested a hand above the wounds on his chest to still him.

"Let me." His silky smooth tenor whispered in sultry, husky tones. Grimmjow kept his grip on the younger man, but made no move that would otherwise strain himself.

Feeling himself growing nearer and nearer to his release, he could see Ichigo wasn't far behind. Feeling devious Grimmjow waited for the right time when Ichigo lifted himself up before the thrust back down. The moment he did, Grimmjow deftly wriggled a little lower and flexed his hips to raise them, right as the ginger plunged back down.

With a single salacious cry from Ichigo, Grimmjow knew he had found the magic spot. The pleasured cry drew a heated blush across Ichigo's cheeks as he began to pant with wanton desire. Going faster and faster, the younger man threw his head back and moaned with each thrust that hit his prostate.

Neither spoke. There was no need for words beyond the long drawn out moans of lustful bliss they shared. Grimmjow could feel himself on that edge again. He knew that only a few more strokes and Ichigo would come. Reaching out, he wrapped his hand around the ginger's burgeoning erection and began to pump, drawing a mewling cry of ecstasy from Ichigo that drove Grimmjow wild.

In a matter of a few thrusts and clipped moans, the two friends, now lovers, found their salvation at the exact same moment. Ichigo spilled himself over Grimmjow's hand and onto his bandaged chest, but Grimmjow didn't care; he convulsed in utter pleasure beneath the ginger as he was rocked to the core by his orgasm. Stilled for a moment, they both panted in an effort to regain their breath. Gently, Ichigo unseated himself to collapse beside Grimmjow on the small bed.

Wrapping an arm around Ichigo's shoulders, Grimmjow held the younger man close as Ichigo let his arm hover lightly on his tender stomach. Grimmjow looked down to his bandaged torso and was a little confused to find the milky white seed gone. It was strange. He then remembered past the post-lust fog in his mind that Ichigo wasn't actually in a corporeal form right now. To put it bluntly, he had just been fucked by Ichigo's soul; and it was incredible. Every inch of his body felt relaxed and filled with the warmth of the ginger's aura.

"You feel better?" Ichigo's soft voice startled him out of the slight doze he had gone into. Smiling broadly, Grimmjow nodded. Nestling closer to Ichigo he buried his face in the soft, shaggy ginger-orange locks of hair and inhaled. He smelled kind of like cinnamon. Everything about him was so warm.

"Oh by the way; I got the charm." Grimmjow instantly knew what Ichigo meant. He had convinced the ghost in the west wing to bless something for him.

"Yeah? What is it?" Grimmjow watched as Ichigo magically had his pants back on and was reaching into a pocket. Right, Ichigo was in a spirit form of sorts. It was a touch disorienting for Grimmjow still. Looking at what Ichigo held, he saw it was a lock of silky, black hair tied with a white thread. Realizing what it was, Grimmjow openly gaped.

"He gave you some of his own hair?" Ichigo nodded a confirmation at Grimmjow's question. He couldn't believe it. That was quite the gift from a spirit. Since they were beings made up entirely of spiritual energy, it was like giving Ichigo a piece of himself.

"He asked that in return, I kill Dr. Granz. He also said the doctor was **not** an incubus, but something else. I hope this charm still works even though he isn't what you thought he was." Ichigo said, a hint of worry seeping into his soft tenor.

"He was right; the doc ain't an incubus. He is a type of iadului which are beings that originated in Eastern Europe a looooong time ago. He's called a Strigoi. The book described them to a T, but it misnamed them. Iadului are not demons at all but they aren't exactly ghosts either. They are best described as supernatural creatures. Pantera is an iadului; he's an Umblator Simcire which is a kind of wandering spirit which is basically what the name means." Grimmjow studied Ichigo's face as the younger man took in all the new information.

"I see. So the charm will work then?" He asked, seemingly taking all of the new developments in stride.

"Yes, the charm should work. Especially since it is an actual part of the spirit who gave it to you." Grimmjow was going to say something else, but Ichigo excitedly cut him off.

"Would it be any more powerful if the spirit who blessed it had a kind of vendetta against the Strigoi thingy? Ulquiorra, I mean the ghost, was killed by the doctor." Grimmjow blinked owlishly for a moment as he listened to Ichigo's rapid speech.

"It might be. I'm not entirely sure. I do know that we need to plan our next method of escape. It seems the garden wall is going to be trickier now that they now we planned to go over it. We need another route."

They both fell into silence as they thought hard on how they might escape. Looking down at his ginger, who was deep in thought, he heard him mutter to himself.

"… leaves…" Grimmjow furrowed his brow in confusion. Suddenly Ichigo sat up a little and looked Grimmjow excitedly in the eyes, his own orbs swirling brightly with excitement.

"The west wing!" He whispered triumphantly. "Ulquiorra -the ghost- who resides in the west wing... remember the room we first found him in? It was dirty and the floor was covered with leaves. The window was broken! True we're on the second floor, but tie some sheets together and we could escape that way." Grimmjow weighed Ichigo's idea as the berry excitedly continued.

"I haven't really looked out the window, but I imagine the wall there is not in nearly a good a shape since no one really goes to that side of the hospital. For there to be so many leaves in there, there's got to be a tree near the window which would consequently be near the wall! We just have to both get in there and then go!" Ichigo was completely fired up about the idea and Grimmjow didn't want to burst the ginger's bubble but he saw a couple problems with the plan.

"How do we get our makeshift rope in there? And how do we both get in there? Not to mention we need to deal with the doctor. Now that we know he's a Strigoi, promise or no promise to the ghost, we can't just leave him alive. Besides, he wouldn't let us leave anyways without a confrontation." Grimmjow said.

He knew that they would continue to be separated so their only time to collaborate would be now or whenever Ichigo projected again in the near future. Looking back down into Ichigo's face he saw it full of determination and fiery resolve.

"Then we lure the doctor into the west wing with us. Once he's there we both kill him and then we get the fuck out of Dodge. The building is old, so if worse come to worse, we can use the ledges of the older style of architecture to climb down. It is also highly possible that there is a gutter there to climb down on." Stewing Ichigo's ideas about in his head, Grimmjow knew it would be risky, but he himself had said they wouldn't get anywhere without taking risks. He sure as hell wasn't going to stick around and wait for the director to hurt him or Ichigo.

The problem was figuring out when they would try this. They would unfortunately have to wait till Grimmjow was fully healed. Pantera heartily agreed with this sentiment, as there was no way they could take on another iadului with Grimmjow injured. The director wouldn't try another session till he knew Grimmjow was healed as well. With the little bit of help from Ichigo's aura and Pantera's strength, he knew he would recover faster than normal. At the most they could spare two days, but no more than that, as the director would probably call him in for another session.

"Ok here's the plan. I need to rest up. Two days from now, just after dinner come to my room. Unlock the deadbolt from the outside. We'll flash an awful lot of our auras about to lure the doc in since he'll definitely be able to feel them and then we dash into the west wing. We lie in wait and then we take him out and make our escape." Listening to plan from his own lips he realized how ridiculous it sounded, but it was the best option they had.

In truth it was really the only option they had. They couldn't afford to wait too long. If Ichigo was strapped onto one of the director's tables and tortured, Grimmjow would never be able to forgive himself even after he had finished wiping the director's blood from his hands. Ichigo smiled wide and nodded eagerly at their plan.

It was settled. Two days from now, they would try once more to escape.

**…**

**…**

**Poor Grimm. At least he gets consolation sex after he gets tortured! XD**

**And yes, Ulquiorra's got a girly crush on Ichigo. I couldn't help but write it; it was toooo cuuuuuute! ^_^ Yeah the chapter is a little mushy gushy and lovey dovey, but I felt a bright change of pace before shit get's real would be nice.**

**So there you have it! Stuff is going down and we're about to see some major action here soon. I tried to explain astral projection as best I could and even through in some lucid dreaming processes in there to make it even more interesting. I can't wait for you all to see what I have in store! :D**

**~Aurelia**


	11. Chapter 10

**I finally finished this chapter! Woo! There were a shit ton of things I wanted to say but I forgot most of them so I will settle with giving another huge thank you to all of you for reading and for the fabulous reviews! I was really pleased you all liked the fluffy-cute scene with Ulquiorra. While there won't be another in this chapter there should be one in the next. ;D**

**Anyways, onwards! :D**

**…**

**…**

_Life has a funny way of proving you wrong about things._

_ You can promise, swear and make a solemn oath to yourself that you'll never let something happen, that you'll never give in or never forget, but inevitably the universe comes together and makes you realize just how insignificant you really are._

_ I never would have dreamed that events would come about this way. I never wanted to imagine that I would be fighting for not just my life, but for the life of someone I cared about. Even as I kid, I grew up knowing that my father would never hurt my mother, so my number one priority was surviving that bastard. If my mother hadn't killed the fucker, I would have, and don't think that an idle boast; I was pretty cold for a kid. I had to be or I wouldn't have made it this far in my life. Everything was a struggle and even now that holds true._

_ I struggle to survive in this place of shifting realities. I struggle to keep a hold on of my pride. But most importantly, I struggle to keep the one person left in my life that I care about alive. Even though I was shown some tough and stoic love by my uncle, the man was quick to discard me when society had determined that I was not "normal". I was used to going through life as someone else's baggage; even my own mother treated me that way at times._

_ Then Ichi came along and changed fucking everything. _

_Damn ginger. _

_I had been living for myself but now I have another reason to keep fighting. I never would have imagined that I would meet someone like Ichi in this place, that made life seem pleasant and not just a string of shitty events. I'm not very sentimental, but I can't lie when I say I feel something strong for the ginger; it's like there's an invisible string that attaches us._

_ Even now, as I lie on the floor barely conscious and bleeding out, I feel a consuming fire of rage and something else I won't put a word to, while Ichi's life is being threatened. What little good I've had in my life has always been ripped from me and I can't help but feel hopelessness settle over me like a death shroud. _

_ I'm losing what I care about all over again._

**…**

**…**

Rosy tendrils of grayish light seeped into the tiny room through the single barred window. Moments and moments passed till finally a slash of light entered the room, hitting stark, white walls and brightening the room as though a light switch had been flipped.

It was dawn.

The second the morning light filtered into his room from his tiny window, Ichigo groaned and pulled his blanket over his eyes. He was tired to the bone from his adventures during the night. From contacting spirits and making a new friend to cavorting about with a roguish bluenette, his little excursion outside of his body had proved tiring. Even though Shiro and his body had rested comfortably the entire time, he still found that his exertions took their toll on his mind and spirit. Knowing he had barely a half hour till the orderlies came to rouse him, Ichigo knew that there was no way he'd get more sleep in.

Yawning big, he threw the covers off of himself and sat up. Arching his back, he stretched and was satisfied to hear several popping sounds in his back. Scrubbing a hand over his face and then through his rapidly growing orange hair, he smiled when he thought about how he would cut it first thing when he got out. It was nearly shoulder length.

_"S' bout time ya got yer ass up. I been waitin' on ya for over 'n hour, King." _Shiro's watery and distorted voiced drifted through his sleep fogged mind. Giving a half smirk, Ichigo kept silent and let the remark go.

When he had finally returned to his room, he had found his Shiro occupied body sound asleep with his fists tucked under his chin like a child and a tiny bit of drool pooling on the pillow. He had gotten quite a chuckle out of the image at first till he wondered if that was what he looked like when he slept. He recalled how he woke Shiro to have the inverted version of himself overjoyed by his return. Shiro had remarked that it was too roomy and empty inside the body without him. It seemed without Ichigo's spirit, Shiro had a difficult time controlling his body.

Dismissing his recollections, Ichigo smiled as he thought about the plan to escape. He knew that Grimmjow wasn't too optimistic about the plan, but that was why he had Ichigo; the orangette could more than make up for his blue haired companion's lack of faith. Shiro, being inside his head, of course knew the plan and felt it sounded great as he was itching for a fight.

In two days they would get the fuck out of here. It was a liberating feeling. Ichigo couldn't' help but feel that this time, things would go much more smoothly than the previous attempt. He was in such a good mood that when the creepy, dark haired, petite orderly came to wake him, he smiled brightly and gave her an almost disgustingly chipper hello. It seemed to catch her off guard since was so used to Ichigo's surly and contemptuous nature towards her.

It was obvious the tiny orderly was suspicious of this new behavior and that she disliked it immensely. She was the type of jailer that enjoyed seeing her prisoners unhappy. Her reaction only served to amuse him more. It seemed that Grimmjow's delight in being vexatious was rubbing off on him.

Knowing Grimmjow would still be in the infirmary, Ichigo happily went about his morning routine of eating and gazing out the window for a short bit before returning to his room. Feeling an excess amount of energy, he tried to relieve it with push-ups, sit-ups, handstands and other physical activities. Course when he heard an orderly approaching he would stop and sit, staring at nothing in particular till they left again. He knew it was a bit late to try and regain some of his musculature that he had lost, but the physicality of his actions left him feeling content. It was better than staring out a window and doing nothing.

Several times throughout the morning he had been tempted to try and go on another little jaunt outside of his body, but he knew that wouldn't be the best of ideas since it practically gave Shiro free reign while he was out. While he had grown to trust the pale demon within himself a bit more, he wasn't sure he trusted the little psychopath to not cause a full scale riot. Though a riot was a tempting thought, he couldn't do anything that might get him locked up for extended periods of time.

Thinking more about his astral projection, he began to wonder that with practice if he would be able to affect the physical world like ghosts and other spirits could do. If ghosts could open and shut doors and if poltergeists could heave things about in a fury, why shouldn't he be able to open a door or something more strenuous? Seriously weighing if he should practice this and risk Shiro's misbehavior, Ichigo wasn't given time to make a decision before the petite orderly came calling again.

"Time for your session with the doctor, Mr. Kurosaki." Her voice was overly cheerful. While Ichigo could feel anticipation and dread coiling in his stomach like a poisonous snake, he put on a wide smile and gave a cheerful "ok" before following her out of his room. She led the way and Ichigo watched her as they went like she might turn on him. There was something about her that just gave him the creeps.

Arriving at Dr. Granz's small office, Ichigo clutched the charm in his pocket. It was the moment of truth. Stepping inside, he took his usual seat opposite of the doctor which put them at about a distance of three and a half feet, give or take. Watching the doctor closely without trying to give anything away, Ichigo waited patiently for the pink haired man to speak. Without looking up from his clipboard, the doctor pursed his lips then spoke.

"So today is going to be a little different, but we'll start out much the same. Tell me Ichigo, how are you today?" Dr. Granz asked. Ichigo felt his suspicions rise at the doctor's words. What did he mean "different"? Not wanting to let the monster's words get to him, Ichigo thought he'd play the cheer card again.

"I'm great!" He said with a sunny smile and disposition. That instantly got the doc's attention. Topaz eyes drifted up to peer at him from over the edge of his silver rimmed glasses. Maintaining his smile, Ichigo sat expectantly, waiting for what the doctor did next. Holding the charm in his pocket he relaxed himself and let all of his negative emotions leave his body with every exhale.

If the Strigoi could feed off of dark emotions and feelings, then Ichigo wouldn't give him any damn food. Letting himself feel pretty good about things, he almost chuckled at the strangeness of the situation. Here he was, alone in a small room with a monster that wanted to jump his bones and then eat him and he was feeling rather loosey goosey about the whole thing. Letting the smirk slip onto his face, he calmly recounted all of the things the book had said about Strigoi in his mind.

"Really?" The doctor asked skeptically. "What has put you in such a good mood?" Ichigo instantly recalled how the book had said that Strigoi were like living lie detectors, Ichigo knew he had to phrase his words carefully. Thinking to play on the whole insanity thing, he grinned proudly as he spoke.

"I've come to terms with what's living in my head and we're actually forming a bond of sorts and I am beginning to trust him more." Like a shot, the doctor's head whipped up in surprise at the words. Clutching his clipboard in a white knuckle grip, Dr. Granz sat up excitedly in his chair.

"Indeed? Please, please tell me more. This is a great break through Ichigo. Tell me now, what is his name?" Hearing the doctor's words, Ichigo knew right off the bat that the doctor thought he had lost it and was in some delusional state of contentedness.

Looking into the man's amber-gold eyes, he saw the hunger and excitement. It was the kind of look you had when something you invested a lot of effort into, finally paid off. Acting like a bumbling idiot, Ichigo played along while Shiro sniggered deviously in his head.

"Well his name is Shiro and he's like me but not. He's really pale and has some crazy looking eyes. He's also a lot more violent than me; I guess he's the anti-me. Lately we've gotten along pretty well and have discovered some common ground." Ichigo watched as the doctor devoured everything and hung on every word. Keeping up his façade of deluded happiness, Ichigo let Shiro's mirth feed his own.

"Wonderful! Tell me now Ichigo, what common ground do you and Shiro share?" Feeling like he was walking the razor's edge between standup comedy and entertaining the devil, Ichigo just rolled with it as the doctor made it too easy with his vague questions.

"Strawberry jam!" Ichigo said overly bright.

He fought incredibly hard not to laugh as Shiro began a high pitched cackle of merriment. Ichigo could feel his smiling lips quiver as he fought to not burst out laughing. This was completely ridiculous but at the same time exhilarating. Dr. Granz eyed him the way a cat eyed a mouse as he asked more questions.

"And what else? Any other common ground?" He asked the orangette.

Feeling a little spiteful, Ichigo smiled and nodded his head vigorously before he replied. Knowing Shiro was on the same page as him, his inner twin prodded him to answer. With a saccharine smile, Ichigo spoke up.

"Well, we both don't like you." He said sweetly.

The doctor's grip on his clipboard slipped as he almost dropped it. His honey eyes hardened as a wickedly cruel smile came over his features. Sitting forward in his chair, Dr. Granz spoke in a tone that made Ichigo's skin crawl.

"Perhaps you should get to know me better. I'm sure even with your companion, Shiro, you're lonely since Mr. Jeagerjaques no longer wants to be your friend. I can be your friend, Ichigo." The lascivious tone in the monster's voice couldn't have been missed even if you were deaf.

Everything about the man screamed "rape". Clutching the lock of silky hair tight in his fist, Ichigo knew any moment now he'd see if the charm really worked. If it did, great. If not, then he was going to be locked up in iso for beating the fuck out of the doctor.

Not saying a word in reply, Ichigo let his cheerful visage drop. Scowling with his usual expression at the doctor, Ichigo tensed for whatever might come. With a smirk, Dr. Granz set his clipboard aside and stood up to loom over Ichigo. Holding his breath in anticipation, Ichigo watched as the doctor took one step forward. The seconds ticked by like hours as the world seemed to slow. Inside, he could feel Shiro gathering his aura to defend them if necessary.

Right as it happened time flew back to its normal speed making it seem as though they were stuck in fast forward. The doctor took a step but then wouldn't move any farther forward. It was as though he had hit an invisible wall that kept him about two feet away from Ichigo. Instantly confusion and rage muddled the monster's features as he realized there was something keeping him from laying hands on his intended victim.

The air in the room darkened as though the light were sucked from their surroundings. The doctor's eyes seemed to glow luminously as Ichigo caught glimpses of bared fangs and rotting features on the doctor's face. They appeared and vanished with unnatural speed, reminding Ichigo of the way a DVD glitched.

Before anything else could occur, there was a knock at the door. Instantly the darkness receded and things turned back to normal.

Stepping into the room was the petite orderly who had brought Ichigo here. Smiling, she apologized for interrupting and the words that came out of her mouth next left Ichigo speechless.

"The director is ready for him now." She said in a pleased voice. Going wide eyed, Ichigo could feel his stomach bottom out. This was bad. The doctor smiled back at the orderly and nodded, his expression betraying that he already knew of this little plan the whole time.

Standing numbly when the orderly pulled him to his feet, Ichigo left as the doctor glared at his retreating form. Glad to know the charm worked Ichigo felt himself filling with apprehension as he was led down the hall and through the building to where the director was.

Was he going to be tortured like Grimmjow? Ichigo wasn't sure which was worse: staying with a monster that wanted to fuck him and then eat him or being tortured by a mad scientist type who had harmed his only friend. Gathering his resolve, he took strength from Shiro's defiant attitude as they continued through the halls.

If Grimmjow could handle this, so could he.

**…**

**…**

_"Wake up!" _The voice cried and nagged at him insistently. Enjoying his nap, he refused to budge, thinking that if he played dead the voice would vanish.

_"Wake up you lazy sod! Ichigo is in trouble!" _Within the span of a heartbeat, Grimmjow was awake. Eyes snapping open, he sat bolt upright, instantly regretting the abrupt action as it sent jagged fingers of pain through his torso.

_What do you mean? What's going on?_

_ "Your boyfriend was in the thick of a flare up of iadului aura as well as a small bit from your friend's inner self. Meaning the Strigoi let his nature slip up and Shiro responded. I've been keeping a close eye on Ichigo's aura after the Strigoi's power faded. While I know him to be unharmed, I do know Ichigo was led off towards the director's office." _Pantera said in resonate and serious tones.

Grimmjow felt his blood turn to ice in his veins and his heart stutter and miss a beat. Knowing he had to do something, he weakly threw the covers off of himself and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

It was then the door to the infirmary opened and a group of stronger looking orderlies were led in by the thin silver haired man. His fox-like features beamed with malcontent as they strode up to Grimmjow's bed.

"Ya got an appointment, _friend_." The fox faced man said maliciously.

**…**

**…**

"Hmmm… it seems you've been diagnosed with a split personality disorder as well as delusions of ghosts, Mr. Kurosaki."

Ichigo sat in a simple chair feeling more than just a little uncomfortable as he watched the director. The man had pale, pasty skin that almost rivaled Shiro's complexion. Trying his hardest to not show how on edge he really was, Ichigo maintained a nonchalant posture in his seat while Shiro paced through his mind. After Ichigo said nothing in reply, the director set down the papers he had been looking over and turned his eyes on the ginger haired young man.

"Yet it would appear that you possess a firm sense of reality and self. How peculiar." Again Ichigo sat quietly and cocked an orange brow at the now widely smiling director. The director rifled through some various stacks of papers till he found what he was looking for. Closing the distance between himself and Ichigo, the director handed the worn document to Ichigo. Taking it from him with a suspicious glance, Ichigo looked down at the pages that had obviously been handled numerous times.

It was Grimmjow's file. Everything from what he was diagnosed with to attempted treatments were here. Looking down at it with wide eyes Ichigo noted that Grimmjow had been in here for nearly a year and that his so called treatment had begun only three months after he had been admitted.

Ichigo thrust the documents back at the director as he felt his anger rise. Grimmjow had been dealing with this abusive and tortuous treatment for a long time now. Ichigo was in awe at how well the bluenette was holding himself together despite the numerous times he had been tortured.

Still refusing to speak to the freakish looking director, Ichigo glared at the man expectantly as he waited for him to continue speaking. The director sighed and gave an airy toss of his hand, dropping the documents back onto his enormous desk before speaking.

"You and the Jeagerjaques patient share an awful lot of similarities to your conditions. I find it peculiar how much you two have in common and it only makes me want to see more of your unique condition. Perhaps studying you may be the key to unlocking the twisting and darkened corridors of Mr. Jeagerjaques' mind." Ichigo still kept silent as he sneered at the pale skinned, navy haired man. The last thing he was going to allow was this man using him as a tool to break Grimmjow.

"I've noted in your file that you let your alternate personality out once you've lost your temper. No matter how hard I try, I cannot create the same reactions in Mr. Jeagerjaques. He practically seethes and exudes anger twenty four/seven, but never once has he cracked." The director continued as he stepped a little closer towards Ichigo.

"Now once your anger's been triggered I see that you go into an animalistic rage and no one is able to talk sense into you. But we have ways of handling that." The director snapped his finger and before Ichigo could even budge, two orderlies rushed forward and secured Ichigo to the chair he was in. It was a simple matter of seconds before Ichigo was wide eyed with anger and jerking on the leather restraints around his wrists and ankles.

"That's right." The director cooed as he dismissed the two hulking orderlies.

"Feel trapped, get angry." Ichigo was having no problems with that at all. He knew that this was all an attempt to bring Shiro forth.

Ever since Ichigo had discovered Shiro in his head, he had spent every waking moment and every breath of effort to keep his inverted self repressed and hidden. Shiro was the skeleton in his closet, the secret he covetously guarded because he was afraid of how that secret would harm those he loved. He wouldn't lose control.

Taking deep breaths he calmed himself. Looking up defiantly into the directors eyes, he swirled his tongue in his mouth and did the most disgusting thing he could think of.

He spit in the director's face.

Ichigo hated it when people spat at one another; it was the highest form of insult to him and was just plain disgusting, but he felt the man in front of him deserved every bit of it.

Sputtering in shock and anger, the director whipped a handkerchief from his trouser pocket and wiped his face down. Tossing the handkerchief aside onto his desk, he stepped forward and viciously backhanded Ichigo. Ichigo's vision blackened for a moment as stars surfaced and danced across his eyes as he rolled his head forward. Finally able to see somewhat normally again, he glowered up at the director with true unparalleled venom. Curling his lip, the director scoffed lightly and let a creepy grin display his perfectly straight and white teeth.

"I know. Let tell stories! I'll go first." Ichigo didn't know where the director was heading with this but he was sure it wasn't going to be something he would like. The director continued in an overly dramatic tone that thoroughly convinced Ichigo that the man liked hearing the sound of his own voice.

"Once upon a time I had a patient. His name was Grimmjow Jeagerjaques. Now this man was pretty defiant and strong willed just like you. He wouldn't let his alternate personality come forward no matter how I goaded him with cruel words. So one day I decided to resort to more archaic methods. Electroshock therapy." Ichigo could feel his hands tighten into fists as the man continued in a rather jolly and unaffected manner.

"It didn't work as well as I had hoped." He said with a dramatic sigh.

"He still resisted, even when I shocked him to the point where his skin burned and blistered. I would treat him for hours, till he no longer had a voice to scream with, which was nice as often times his screaming would give me headaches and headaches detract from my concentration." Ichigo felt his breathing speed up and his blood heat in his veins as he listened to the horrible man.

"No matter what methods I tried, nothing worked. Even when I inserted metal hooks into his flesh, dampened his skin and shocked him till he flopped like a fish on the shore, he wouldn't give in. I've even tried drugging him to lessen his control but that had no effect either."

Ichigo gritted his teeth till his jaw ached as he visibly shook with raw anger at the things the director told him. Shiro fed from Ichigo's anger and it only fueled his rage further. Even though Shiro had always pretended to not care one way or the other, Ichigo knew that he had a soft spot for Grimmjow and that the story being told was affecting him as well.

"Well this last session I had grown angry enough at my own lack of progress that I took a dull scalpel and decided it was past time I drew blood. From shoulder to hip I cut him as he lay there nearly unconscious from the pain. He'll have a fantastic scar. His reaction when I had threatened to do the same to you was priceless. He almost looked like he was going to cry."

That was it. Ichigo couldn't take what this man was saying any longer. Not wanting to think about what lay beneath Grimmjow's bandages, he struggled to clear his mind. Closing his eyes, he tried to drown out the director's words as he droned on and on about how he had hurt Grimmjow over and over again. He felt his rage boiling over within him at everything he was being told.

He had always kept a tight hold on Shiro because he was afraid of hurting those he loved, but it didn't matter anymore. There was no one he loved in this room with him now. No one to be afraid of hurting, no one to be afraid of frightening, just one fucked up man who needed to pay for his grievous wrongs against the only person he had left in his life. Inhaling deeply, Ichigo let his anger boil over and gladly handed control over to Shiro.

Feeing himself merge with the pale twin, this time was unlike any time before. Ichigo still felt in control, but he felt different, as though he had changed and become a different person. Ichigo hadn't noticed that the director had stopped speaking in favor of watching Ichigo intently as the orangette sat still, head slightly drooped, eyes closed and breathing evenly.

Ichigo let his fury fill him. He let his need to destroy and to ravage, tear away his sense of compassion. All he wanted was to rip the man before him to shreds. Shiro's unique power coursed through his veins and filled him to the brim with the aching desire to let everything go and be free in his hatred. Raising his head slowly, Ichigo snapped his eyes open and the room plunged into unnatural darkness.

The director gave a startled yip and jumped back at the brief second of eye contact he had made with the young man. Before the lights had gone out, he had seen unimaginable and endless pools of swirling golden hate framed by deep black. Unsure as to what was going on, the director fumbled for the light switch to the lamp on his desk, finding that it wouldn't work.

The room was eerily quiet and caused gooseflesh to shiver across the director's skin. Shaking his head, he berated himself for the tingle of fear that trickled down his spine as he made his way towards the door in the dark.

It was then he heard it.

A clearly audible snap that resounded in the thick and heavy silence, followed by a soft thump.

In one sickening moment of fear, the director realized the young man had somehow broken free from his bonds. Scrambling madly for the door, the director was shocked when he ran into something solid and warm. Stumbling back the lights flickered back on and the pale man found himself staring up at the twisted and wickedly grinning face of Ichigo.

Before the director could even react, Ichigo swooped down and had the man by the scruff of his neck. Too shocked and mesmerized by the young man's horrifying gaze, the director opened his mouth to emit a dry choking sob mingled with a squeak. Tilting his head to the side, Ichigo cocked his fist and plunged his knuckles into the director's face.

The ferocity of the blow tore the director clean out of Ichigo's grip and sent him tumbling backwards into a table laden with notes, test tubes and other instruments. Ichigo watched as a thin trickle of blood ran down from the man's nose and from a cut over his eye made by something he had crashed into on the table.

The man had landed with a satisfying cry of pain and loud crash that beckoned the orderlies inside. Turning on the two big men, Ichigo let a psychotic grin twist his features maliciously. The men rushed him but only took a couple of steps before they too noticed his molten eyes of fiery gold and black. Seizing the moment of hesitation to two orderlies displayed, Ichigo let out a wild, cackling peal of laughter and rushed them both.

Ducking low at the last moment he lashed out with a long, lean leg and caught one man off guard, knocking him down in a flash. Springing up with another maddened giggle, he threw a vicious right hook at the other man and followed up with a jab from his left instantly. The second man was out and dropped limply to the floor. Turning back on the first man Ichigo saw the petite orderly standing in the doorway with wide fearful eyes.

"Rukia! Get more orderlies here to subdue him!" The male orderly on the floor said as he clutched at his knee.

It seemed his knee cap had been rotated by Ichigo's kick. Knowing he couldn't let the tiny woman escape, Ichigo lunged after but was shocked to find her incredibly agile and quick. He was about to take off after her when a hand clamped around his ankle.

The male orderly on the floor clung to him with all his might as he attempted to free a syringe from his pocket. Ichigo instantly bristled at the gleam of metal from the syringe. He hated being drugged up. He was not going to allow the man to hit him with it. With his free leg, Ichigo stomped down hard on the hand that was reaching for the syringe and there was a harsh crunch as the orderly went rigid.

Slowly the man's grasp weakened and he feebly fell to the floor before passing out as blood began to spread from his pocket and stain his pants. Curious, Ichigo crouched down and peered inside the man's pocket to see that the glass chamber of the syringe had shattered in his pocket and cut deeply into the man's flesh. He had drugged himself.

With a pitiless smirk, Ichigo stood up and cracked his neck before exiting the director's study. He had to find that tiny woman. Slinking down the empty halls like an alley cat on the hunt, Ichigo's ears caught the distant sounds of screaming, yelling, crashing and all around brawling. Smiling wide he trotted down the hall towards the source of the commotion. He realized it was coming from the common room, but before he could round the final corner to take a peek, he crashed headlong into another body.

Knocked back onto his rear, Ichigo lifted his hands to his tender forehead where he had crashed into what he assumed had been the other person's head. Looking up with a slight snarl and ready for a fight, Ichigo felt all of his anger and maddened power slip from him as easy as a sigh.

Warm, tired chocolate eyes met with bright, piercing azure. Before he could move, Ichigo launched up and threw himself around Grimmjow, thus tackling the bluenette backwards and landing on top of him. A grunt of air and a pained groan left the bluenette and Ichigo recoiled, jumping back as though he had been burned.

"Sorry! I forgot you were still hurt! Oh my god! Ar-are you ok?" Ichigo babbled on in a worried tone. Grimmjow grunted again and sat up gingerly, shaking his head at Ichigo with a wry twist to his lips.

"God, quit being such a girl. I'm fine." Stooping down, Ichigo gave a light scowl and a roll of his eyes as he helped Grimmjow to his feet.

Ichigo had a million questions perched on the tip of his tongue like pop rocks waiting to escape the second he opened his mouth, but before he could even draw a breath to speak Grimmjow spoke up.

"We need ta move ta my room and grab my sheets. If we're getting out of here, now's our fucking chance. I started a riot in the common room after beating the fuck out of some orderlies and escaping." Ichigo stood slack jawed and let his gaping mouth morph into a sly and slightly proud smile. He had been thinking about a nice riot just earlier today. Curious about all the details, Ichigo held his tongue as he helped Grimmjow make a break for his room.

Once inside, Ichigo let Grimmjow lean against the wall as he lunged towards the bluenette's bed, knocking over stacks of books as he went. Ripping the single blanket off, he threw it aside knowing it wouldn't hold a knot for shit and therefore would be no use to them. Tearing the sheets from the bed, Ichigo tossed them over his shoulder. A slight blush crept to his cheeks as he realized they smelled just like Grimmjow. Shaking the thought from his head, reached out and against Grimmjow protestations, wrapped an arm around the bigger man's waist to support him.

Lurching out of the room, the two staggered down the hall in a mad dash to reach the west wing. There was a loud boom from behind them and a crazy, deep voiced, baritone laugh that echoed out from the common room. It seemed one of the patient's was enjoying themselves in the riot.

Wiping a smirk from his face as Grimmjow gave a half chuckle, Ichigo stumbled to a stop in front of the entry way to the west wing. Without having to try he knew Ulquiorra was there, simply by the way Grimmjow tensed slightly and instantly looked into the west wing through the slightly dirty glass of the doors.

Ichigo looked in and saw that Ulquiorra had manifested himself into a more solid looking form. Smiling at the ghost, he reached a hand forward to open the now unlocked door when a voice from down the hall made them all freeze.

Slowly, Ichigo turned his head to look down the hall and shivered horribly as his eyes fell on Dr. Granz.

"Where the fuck do you two think you're going?" The pink haired doctor said in pleasant tones that evoked a deep, guttural growl from Grimmjow and a shiver of disgust from Ichigo.

Of course the fucking bastard would show up now.

Remembering his promise to Ulquiorra, Ichigo gripped Grimmjow tight as Ulquiorra flung the doors open with his aura. Rushing inside, Ichigo desperately tried to think of a plan for fighting the monstrous doctor. Grimmjow was still injured and Ichigo didn't really quite know how to control Shiro's power yet.

Haphazardly staggering down the abandoned hall while supporting Grimmjow, Ichigo heaved an annoyed sigh and gave a wry shake of his head.

They were fucked.

**...**

**...**

**Ahahahahaha! Cliff hanger! **

**Ok, so I am sorry about how much longer this chapter took. I had to wrestle and fight to wright it because of writer's block but I am pretty satisfied with this chapter. There will probably be one or two more chapters after this before the story will be concluded and I can move onto to devoting my time to my new Grimm-Ichi piece It's a Dead World.**

**I would love, love, LOVE some reviews and opinions so please let me know what you think.**

**~Aurelia**


	12. Chapter 11

**Oh god this chapter took nearly everything out of me. Whew... So there will be another chapter after this and I really, really hope you all like this one. I really put everything I had into this one. :P**

**Enjoy!**

**…**

**…**

_Think, think, think! DAMMIT!_

Ichigo was nearly having a panic attack as they lumbered down the halls at a painstakingly slow pace. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the doctor at the main door to west wing. His face was contorted with anger and effort and Ichigo wondered why the monster wasn't coming after them until he realized Ulquiorra must have put some sort of spiritual barrier up against the pink haired man.

Looking back in front of him, they turned round a corner and into a side hall. The second they vanished from the doctor's sight, Ichigo could feel an intensifying sense of desperate hunger and rage brewing at the entrance to the west wing. They didn't make it more than six more steps before there was a concussive force that whooshed through the halls like a blast wave.

He knew the doctor had forced his way in, even if the snarling, growl Grimmjow gave wasn't an indicator. He could feel Shiro pooling his aura together inside of him and getting ready for what they all knew was inevitable.

"Sorry." A disjointed voice came from a rapidly fading Ulquiorra. "I could not keep him out. I have almost nothing left. Sorry." His emotionless voice trailed off into a whisper and Ichigo watched him disappear like smoke on a breeze. He knew he probably should have panicked over Ulquiorra's disappearance, but something told Ichigo the ghost was fine, just too weak to manifest.

Reaching the room Ulquiorra favored above all others, Ichigo helped Grimmjow lean against the wall by the broken window before he frantically started tying the sheets together as quickly and efficiently as he could. Sticking his head out the window he saw that there was indeed a gutter affixed the wall with sturdy looking brackets.

"My, my… what naughty boys you two are." The sleazy and sickening voice drifted into the room from the damaged doorway to cause Ichigo's skin to crawl in revulsion. Grimmjow spat at the floor by the doctor's feet and let yet another rumbling growl issue forth from deep within his chest. If Ichigo hadn't known better, he would have mistaken the sound for that of an actual animal's.

"You know. With all the trouble you two have caused me, I've half a mind to just eat you both right here and now." Dr. Granz said in an indifferent manner. Cocking a hip, the doctor slipped his long white lab coat off and tossed it aside in the hallway. Reaching a slender, almost delicate looking hand up towards his face, he carefully removed his glasses and gently tucked them away into a trouser pocket.

Ichigo dropped the sheets to the leaf strewn floor and stepped forward placing himself in front of Grimmjow. He would protect the man no matter what. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he surrendered his aura to Shiro and allowed their selves to merge into one being. Feeling their power rushing through his veins like lightning and fill the room with their combined might, Ichigo snapped his eyes open and his aura stormed the room with incredible force.

**…**

**…**

The whole room seemed to shake as it was filled with the combined power that Ichigo and Shiro shared. Grimmjow felt tingles that shivered and slithered all across his body as he watched a strange glow seem to emanate from Ichigo. It was as though a torrential storm had been let loose in the room. He couldn't believe the amazing power that Ichigo held. He had known the ginger was strong, but he never would have imagined that Ichigo could wield this much brute spiritual force. It literally stole the breath from his lungs as it raged around the room.

Save for the immense power that the ginger exuded, everything was still in the room. Watching the Strigoi in the doorway, the creature cocked a pink brow.

"Impressive boy, but I've got something of my own to show you." Without any further ado, the doctor shredded the illusion of his human appearance and let his true form come to the surface.

Fingers lengthened into long bone like talons that ripped the clothes off of his body. Smooth, ivory skin cracked, peeled and darkened, giving way to grey and rotting flesh. Throwing his head back, the pink hair that fanned behind him lengthened into long banshee white strands. Amber eyes brightened with an internal glow as they stared out from deep sockets in a rotting, skeletal face that had no nose.

Taking in a deep breath, the creature took a deep breath and stretched as the transformation continued. Arms lengthened as legs grew more canine in their stance that flexed and revealed powerful muscle beneath the decomposing flesh. With an unearthly shriek the Strigoi reared to its full and imposing height to tower a good foot over the top of them.

The lipless mouth opened and curved to reveal long, jagged rotting teeth in a frightening parody of a grin. Cocking its head to the side in a disturbing fashion, it looked them both over. Curling his lip into his usual sneer, Grimmjow showed no fear. It fed from that after all.

"Now, I must say this is liberating. I thoroughly hate how disgusting this makes me look but at the same time I don't like being cooped up and confined inside that little illusion." Grimmjow could feel the power of an iadului rivaling Ichigo's incredibly aura.

Grimmjow's scowl deepened as he realized something was off. The Strigoi shouldn't have been this powerful. From all the times he and Pantera hashed this out, Pantera had been convinced that the Strigoi, while tricky would be nowhere near them in terms of raw power.

_"Now I understand." _Pantera said in his mind.

_"Feel out his aura, you can find traces of the ghost's aura all wrapped up in his own."_ Grimmjow obliged the spectral panther and did so. He was right of course. There definitely was traces of the ghost's energy all twisted up and contorted inside his own aura.

_"He has figured out how to feed and consume other supernatural beings and absorb their power. He must have gained that bit when he tore down the spiritual barrier the ghost had placed. I imagine he simply absorbed it instead of forcing it. This is highly unusual."_

_ Ok. Unusual is nice and all, but how the fuck to we take him out?_

_ "We risk everything. We can't afford to feel him out as he might be capable of absorbing our powers as well. We have to overwhelm him and overpower him with everything we've got."_

Grimmjow tightened his strong hands into fists as he stepped forward from the wall, the entire exchange taking place in his mind in mere seconds.

_So you're sayin' we've got to come as dangerously close as possible to you taking complete and total control to kill him?_

_ "Yes. Will you do it?"_

Grimmjow scoffed at the stupid question. Of course he would.

Not one to be outdone when it came to displays of dominance and power, Grimmjow stood tall, arms stiffly at his side as he drew more and more of Pantera's power into his own aura. Instantly the Strigoi turned his attention to the bluenette and his toothy grin slipped as he felt the power within Grimmjow rise and spiral up to add to the terrifying storm of energy in the tiny room.

He shook with the effort of not being overwhelmed as he drew deeper and deeper on the seemingly endless well of Pantera's strength. His glowed fiercely with cyan intensity as he fought to control the wild power inside him. With a bit of guidance from Pantera, he stood firm and took one last pull from the well of power inside him.

The plaster on the ceiling above them cracked under the stress of all the incredible energy in the room. Dust rained down on them but no one seemed to notice or care. Ichigo still stood defiantly, positioning himself between Grimmjow and the Strigoi. Stepping up from behind the ginger, he stood beside him. There was no way he'd let someone shield him like he was some delicate little bitch.

"Ooooh!" The Strigoi called out with mock astonishment, feigning to be impressed.

"An Umblator Simcire! Whatever shall I dooooo?" He wailed in a counterfeit of fear and trepidation, before he fell to laughing. Grimmjow nor Ichigo showed any sign of emotion, simply watching and waiting for the creature to make the first move.

Pausing in his laugher when he saw it wasn't getting a rise out of the uncharacteristically stoic men, he paused and cocked a hip out again to look them over.

Quicker than a thought could form, the Strigoi launched forward with monstrous speed and unleashed a devastating blow on Ichigo's chin, knocking the ginger back as he flew into the back wall. Seeing this, Grimmjow tensed and watched as the Strigoi turned on him. Ready for what was coming Grimmjow blocked the first blow but was caught in the gut with a savage kick that sent him flying back as well.

Sprawled on the floor, Grimmjow wheezed as he fought the pain and scrambled to get back up. In no time, Ichigo recovered and threw himself at the Strigoi, throwing powerful punches one after another, that never hit their mark as the creature effectively blocked them.

Rushing into to help Grimmjow focused his and Pantera's combined power into the palm of his hand and threw a haymaker. Scoring a hit, he caught the Strigoi on the shoulder and the power of the blow sent the creature spinning back as Ichigo followed and began to rain more punches upon him.

Wasting no time, Grimmjow rushed in to aid the ginger when they were both knocked back by an unearthly blow from the Strigoi's aura. Trying his damndest to keep on his feet in the wake of the blast without sound, Grimmjow spared a glance at Ichigo and saw the young man's eyes were black and gold like Shiro's. This wasn't right.

They were throwing everything they had into this fight and Ichigo had even drawn up on enough of Shiro's power that he was taking on aspects of the latter's appearance yet they were gaining no ground in the fight.

With a snarling growl that sounded more like it came from Shiro, Ichigo rushed back forward and Grimmjow watched in stunned amazement as he imitated the way Grimmjow had focused a high amount of energy into his fist, but with a twist. He watched as Ichigo drew the energy outside of his body to collect into his open hand. A red ball of light appeared in Ichigo's hand. The light reeked of pure rage and power.

Grimmjow hurtled in beside Ichigo and they charged the Strigoi together. Throwing his punch first in an effort to force the Strigoi into leaving himself open to Ichigo's attack, Grimmjow watched as the ball of light shot forth from Ichigo's hand and hit the Strigoi in the center of his chest.

Light flared and nearly blinded Grimmjow as he felt the impact that sent the Strigoi flying out the open doorway, knocking the askew door, clean off its hinges. Grimmjow gave a whoop of triumph at the amazing blow. Turning to Ichigo, Grimmjow saw the ginger was panting from the effort that had taken. Sweat rolled down his unusually pasty pale forehead and dripped from his nose. Grimmjow would have thought the sight to be fucking hot, had they not been in a fight for their lives.

Turning back to the doorway, he groaned and felt his celebratory attitude slip when he saw the Strigoi shifting and getting to his feet. Grimmjow stood at the ready by Ichigo's side and waited for the Strigoi to make his move.

Before he could stop him Ichigo was charging forward again. Calling out to the ginger, he tried to get him to stop but his voice died in his throat and the Strigoi gathered his aura and sent it all flying at Ichigo. Suddenly Ichigo stopped in his tracks as a shield of pale green light erupted around him.

_The charm!_

Grimmjow realized the lock of hair was still protecting Ichigo from a direct attack and the few times the ginger did take a blow it was actually to the shield but the force still knocked him back. Feeling slightly relieved, he stood tensely as all he could do was watch the showdown, knowing anything from his part would merely get in the way and hurt one or both of them.

Ichigo grunted and gritted his teeth in the effort it to try and push forward against the attack. He took a strained step forward, and then another and Grimmjow felt like Ichigo was going to make it before the Strigoi drew on more of his power and fed it to the nearly invisible attack.

Screaming out in fury, Ichigo pushed one last time before the shield shattered under the immense force of the attack. All light seemed to drain out of their surroundings despite that it was daylight outside. It was almost pitch black before suddenly, a blinding light filled the room and Ichigo was left limp on the floor.

"ICHIGO!" Grimmjow screamed in worry and rage as he turned on the creature that had attacked the ginger. Drawing on even more of Pantera's power, Grimmjow focused on forcing the energy to materialize outside of his body. With great effort, he managed to coat his fists and forearms in the glowing, sky blue energy as though they were gauntlets. Feeling the weight of the power in his arms, he charged forward in a screaming attack.

Part of him wondered why the Strigoi merely stood there and smirked at him without moving. Cocking back his fist, Grimmjow prepared to duck in low and feint before catching the creature with an uppercut but he got no closer than three feet before something went terribly wrong.

Raising his open palm, the Strigoi gave a wicked, toothy grin as a familiar red light grew to the size of a melon in his open hand. Instantly Grimmjow knew the creature had absorbed Ichigo's previous attack and was about to use it against him now. He was unable to move out of the way in time as he watched those glowing golden eyes gleam with madness, hunger and merriment.

With a wild, rasping laugh and a casual flick of a wrist, the red light was sent screaming towards Grimmjow. Adjusting his stance and tensing his body for what he knew was to come, Grimmjow raised his power shielded fists and tucked his head as he tried to protect his face and upper body from the blow.

The second it hit him, he knew that he was fucked. Pain. It was so intense he couldn't breathe. It felt as though every nerve and fiber of his body was being burned away from him as the debilitating blow tore through his own blue aura on his arms and cut into his flesh deeply. He dimly registered his back forcefully hitting the back wall and the feel of the concrete in the wall shattering behind him. Clinging to the wall for a single second, he drew a shuddering breath before he fell forward into the leaves on the floor.

Grimmjow's mind was foggy, his body felt like every bone had been shattered, but he had to keep fighting. Using what little strength he had left, he tried to lift himself up off the ground but it was no use.

"F-fuck." He panted under his breath. He felt the warm blood seeping into his clothes and pooling on the ground beneath him. Even though the attack had only put deep gashes in his forearms, the force of the unearthly blow had reopened the long wound that crossed his torso. Giving out another curse, Grimmjow panted heavily as he lay on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood.

"Too easy." The Strigoi laughed as he sauntered over and gave Grimmjow a cruel kick to the ribs. A harsh cry of pain was torn from Grimmjow as he bared his teeth at the Strigoi.

"Honestly, you could have done better than that couldn't you? Aren't Umblator Simcire supposed to be the most powerful iadului in existence? How disgustingly pitiful you are." Turning away from Grimmjow, the Strigoi let his gaze fall the now reawakening Ichigo. Grimmjow was weakened by the blow he had taken but he could easily tell that Ichigo no longer had a hold of Shiro's power. He was defenseless.

His struggles to get up and aid the ginger redoubled but he only managed to flop on the floor as he began to lose feeling in his limbs. He felt so light headed and everything felt fuzzy. Slowly he could feel a cold chill seeping into him and his vision began to grow dark around the edges.

Ichigo groaned as he tried to sit up, but the Strigoi lifted a clawed, canine-like foot and slammed it down squarely on Ichigo's chest, thus pinning him to the ground. With a pained grunt, Grimmjow could hear the air vacate Ichigo lungs forcibly.

Grimmjow could only lie in his own blood helplessly and watch in horror as the Strigoi reached down with an unnaturally long arm and backhanded Ichigo in the face. Another growl that rose into a whine left Grimmjow throat as he tried yet again to force himself to get up, to fight. Looking over his shoulder at the bluenette struggling on the ground, the Strigoi grinned in such a way that Grimmjow felt his heart stutter to a stop for a brief moment.

Stormy, crystalline blue eyes widened in complete horror as he watched the Strigoi hook a single claw in the waistband of Ichigo's pants. With a cruel chuckled he pulled the article of clothing off slowly inch by inch while he easily kept a screaming and kicking Ichigo at bay.

"G-get offa me! Get off you fuck!" Ichigo kicked and screamed and tried his best to squirm away from the ill intentioned monster standing over the top of him. The Strigoi laughed and continued his slow and purposeful actions while Grimmjow continued to feebly struggle to aid the ginger.

He felt a sudden tightness that burned in his chest and constricted his throat as he filled with burning hate. Unable to watch yet unable to tear his eyes away, Grimmjow felt tears welling in his eyes for the first time in a long time as the feeling took a solid grip on him.

It had been the same feeling he had felt when he had seen Ichigo struck by the big guy during the common room brawl. The same feeling that he felt when he realized the ginger's doctor was a flesh craving monster and the same feeling that had twisted his gut when the director threatened to torture Ichigo. Every fiber of his being burned with the need to protect the younger man but no matter how much thought he put into why he could never quite name what fueled these urges.

_"It's called love, Grimmjow."_

**…**

**…**

"You fucking asshole! Get off!" Ichigo cried as he gave it his all to try and escape the clutches of the lewd and lascivious beast above him.

Fearfully, Ichigo threw a pleading glance to Grimmjow to have his heart sink. Grimmjow was laying on his front in a dark puddle of blood, struggling to make his limbs work despite the incredible blood loss he had already suffered and the wounds that afflicted him.

Ichigo struggled and continued to scream as his pants ripped away as well as his hospital given jockeys underneath. He felt so trapped. His breath came in desperate, short ragged pants that made his chest feel constricted as the monster stood above him with a leering grin. Desperately reaching inside himself for Shiro's power, Ichigo grasped at nothing. Something was wrong. He could feel Shiro there in his mind but was unable to reach him.

"Struggle all you like; you won't be able to use that thing's power." The Strigoi laughed as he reached a clawed hand down to run a bone-like talon across the smooth expanse of Ichigo's stomach.

"I don't know what your Shiro is, but I do know his power is quite delicious. I'm afraid he won't be helping you though, as I took an awful lot of his power." The creature said with cruel delight. Ichigo felt his panic rise and his desperation reach new heights as the monster's talon drew a thin line of blood that elicited a hiss of pain from the ginger. Still feebly struggling, Ichigo watched in dread as the monster leaned down over the top of him and let an unnaturally long tongue slip out and slither across his bared torso, lapping up the blood.

"Mmmmmm, goodness you taste quite exquisite." The Strigoi said as he knelt down on top of Ichigo's legs whilst keeping the orangette's arms pinned down tight. With his free clawed hand, the creature drew another line of blood. Ichigo felt his entire being scream in protest at the feel of the long, warm, wet tongue on his slightly sweat slickened skin.

Ichigo nearly hyperventilated as the Strigoi let his hand wander where it may across Ichigo's smooth, tawny skin. A tiny whimper of fear and horror escaped Ichigo's throat as he still fought to heave the monster off of him. This was it; there were going to die here and no one would ever know. Ichigo refused to accept the reality of the situation but nothing could change the facts.

Sudden movement caught Ichigo's attention while the Strigoi was still distracted by his ministrations. Flicking his gaze over, Ichigo saw a strange blue glow enveloping Grimmjow. Wondering why the Strigoi wasn't noticing this, Ichigo watched in fascinated hope as the bleeding bluenette slowly rose from the ground to silently stand.

Azure eyes blazed with an untamed power that gave Ichigo chills as he watched more and more swirling blue power accumulate around the muscled man. Another tiny cry slipped from Ichigo's lips as he saw the blood stained bandages on Grimmjow's torso and the deep, angry wounds on his forearms. The sight of the man so wounded tore Ichigo up inside.

Something about Grimmjow's expression made Ichigo's heart clench and his stomach flutter as he took a perfectly silent step forward. The bluenette's face was clam yet at the same time contorted with rage and if Ichigo didn't know any better, jealousy.

"Y-you might want to get the fuck off me, or else." Ichigo said in a slightly shaky voice as Grimmjow took another step forward, still unnoticed by the Strigoi. The creature drew another line of blood on Ichigo's inner thigh and let his tongue run across the length of the cut, enjoying the coppery tasting, ruby beads of liquid that appeared.

"And why is that? You think that _scary _monster inside of you is going to stop me?" The Strigoi said with mocking joy as he continued to let his tongue caress over thin welting cuts. Ichigo suppressed the urge to shudder in disgust and fought to keep his voice steady and calm, his eyes never leaving Grimmjow's.

"No." Ichigo said simply. "It because of the scary monster behind you."

Like a trigger had been pulled, the entire room exploded in immense power as Grimmjow began to change. The Strigoi leapt up off of Ichigo at the sudden explosion of power and the orangette took the chance to dish out a harsh kick that landed in the Strigoi's abdomen. Before the monster could retaliate, Ichigo squirmed and wriggled backwards and away from the creature.

The Strigoi turned to face Grimmjow in a crouching stance, but moved no further when he saw what was before him.

Short, tousled locks of baby blue grew out to hip length in seconds as already sharp, white teeth lengthened into perfect fangs. Blue eyes sported vertical slits for pupils and his overall appearance had grown more feline and savage. The blue aura never ceased to pulse and radiate from Grimmjow as he stood silently glaring at the Strigoi.

In a tense silence, no one moved. The deathly quiet took over the room and settled heavily into place as Ichigo watched from where he crouched by the doorway. His gaze flicking from the Strigoi to Grimmjow, Ichigo paused at the bluenette. Gazing intently at the man's face, Ichigo could have sworn he could catch glimpses of a ghostly white, predatory cat. Suddenly Ichigo knew it to be Pantera that he saw in Grimmjow's features. Grimmjow had drawn upon incredible amounts of Pantera's power that he had taken on more feline aspects.

Glancing back at the Strigoi, Ichigo saw the creature flex and clench its talons into fists. Without warning, Grimmjow launched forward into a savage attack. Quicker than a striking viper, the wild looking bluenette had closed the distance between himself and the Strigoi and had a strong hand wrapped round the monster's throat. With a feral, rumbling howl, Grimmjow pulled back his free hand and plunged it into the Strigoi chest like a spear.

A sick, wet squelching noise followed the action and the Strigoi went rigid in the strongly built man's grasp and began to shake and convulse as Grimmjow twisted his hand around inside the gaping wound. Ichigo's eyes were wide in shock as everything seemed to happen faster than the span of three breaths. Another wet sucking sound reached his ears and he watched in fascinated revulsion as Grimmjow ripped a black, pulsating lump of flesh from the Strigoi's chest.

The monster still shook and trembled violently as Grimmjow growled low in his throat and held the lump of flesh that Ichigo figured to be a heart up so the Strigoi could see it. With a cold look of hatred and anger, Grimmjow crushed the still feebly throbbing organ. Instantly the Strigoi fell limp and Grimmjow curled a lip as he tossed the now dead monster aside and threw the mangled heart to the floor amid the dead leaves.

Turning towards the still crouching Ichigo, Grimmjow's expression softened before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the floor heavily. Not hesitating for an instant, Ichigo scrambled wildly forward on his hands and knees to reach the bluenette.

"Don't you dare be dead, you stupid son of a bitch!" Ichigo whispered harshly as he gathered the bigger man up into his arms. Feeling his breathing hitch in fear, Ichigo hastily checked Grimmjow for a pulse. He had lost so much blood and had put so much strain on his already tired and wounded body. After a minute or more of searching, Ichigo felt tears spring to his eyes when no pulse could be found.

"No…" He whispered weakly as he stared down at the slack face below him. Baby blue locks, receded back into their tousled, bed head reminiscent state as his feature became more and more human. When the change stopped, Ichigo fumbled with the man's wrist to try and check his pulse again.

Nothing.

"No, no, no, NO, NOOOO!" Ichigo sobbed brokenly, his words changing into long forlorn howls of anguish and sorrow. Squeezing his eyes shut, tears freely fell down his cheeks to cascade onto Grimmjow's still slack face. Shaking with sobs, Ichigo wailed again and clutched the body of the man closer to him as he pressed his trembling lips to a smooth brow. That scowl that had gave the bluenette such a severe looking brow would never be there again and Ichigo instantly missed it.

Another sob wracked his body as he began to rock back and forth, cradling the unmoving man in his arms while the desperate and unfathomable pain of loss ripped Ichigo's hear t asunder. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fucking fair.

"I'm so sorry!" He whispered brokenly. "I should have tried harder!" Ichigo's voice cracked as another cry of pain and despair shook him to the core. After all he had been through in this crazy, short time, Ichigo had still lost the last person left to him.

"C-come baaack…" He cried as he pressed his lips again to that unwrinkled forehead.

"P-p-pleeease! I-I didn' even g-get to say… t-to say…" Ichigo couldn't continue as another round of wails overtook him, his grief stricken cries echoing hollowly around him in the desolate room.

"Shhhh… still those tears." A soft, empty voice called out to him and a gentle presence wrapped around him like a comforting arm. Ichigo blearily sat up as something caressed at his hair wiped the tears from his lashes.

"Ul-lquiorra?" Ichigo asked with a hiccupping cry. The presence around him began to solidify and Ichigo saw a forlorn face that bore a slight, sympathetic smile. Ulquiorra couldn't quite manifest into a human form, but Ichigo could see that it was him clearly enough.

"It's easy to see how much you care for him. He obviously cared enough for you to throw his own life away." Ichigo nodded woodenly as more tears began to stream down his face despite the tender comforting touches and words the ghost offered.

"You shouldn't cry though. He isn't dead - well, at least not yet." Upon hearing Ulquiorra's words, hope sprung into Ichigo's heart with such intensity that it hurt.

"That evil beast is finally dead and I can move on, but I want to help you first." Ulquiorra's words were tender and so full of emotion that Ichigo was having a hard time believing it was the same stoic and deadpan ghost.

The aura that surrounded him slowly receded and Ichigo could feel a light touch at his cheek and another brush at his lips. Before he could ask what the spirit intended, Ichigo watched the misty haze that was Ulquiorra, coalesce and surround Grimmjow's body.

Sucking in a fearful, anticipated breath, Ichigo watched and waited as the pale green glow emanated around the fallen man. Seconds ticked by, and Ichigo could feel his tenuous hope on the verge of snapping like an over tightened violin string. Seconds more passed and he was about to succumb to more tears of anguish, when something miraculous happened.

A tiny gasp, a chest beginning to rise and fall; life had been restored to the bluenette who lay in his grasp. Slowly, Ulquiorra's presence began to diminish more and more as Grimmjow's breaths grew stronger and stronger.

"Remember me, Ichigo…" A whisper shivered across Ichigo's skin as the last of Ulquiorra's aura began to fade.

"I will." Ichigo whispered tenderly in reply. "Thank you, Ulquiorra."

As the last of Ulquiorra's presence finally dissipated, Ichigo quickly glanced down to see Grimmjow's bright, cyan eyes flutter open. A heavy breath left Ichigo's lungs as he felt his whole body flood with relief. Looking down to the bluenette, Ichigo could feel the tears threatening to surge forward again at his overflow of joy and relief.

"Mrrgh… hey ginger. We win?" Ichigo gave a short barking laugh as his eyes watered, while he still held Grimmjow close to him.

"Yeah." Ichigo said hoarsely. "We won, Grimm." His voice threatened to break again as the older man in his arms smiled roguishly.

"Good. Now, what was it you didn't get to say to me?" Grimmjow asked, his voice also hoarse. His eyes twinkled with mischievous delight despite the obvious fatigue he felt. Ichigo felt his whole body go rigid as he realized that Grimmjow had heard everything he had said while sobbing over the man's body. A slight blush tinted his tawny cheeks as he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"C'mon Ichi, you're clutching me up against you and you are totally naked form the waist down. Whatever you got to say can't be more awkward than that." Grimmjow gave a crooked smile as Ichigo's blush deepened into a scarlet rouge. Taking a shaky, breath Ichigo cleared his throat.

"I didn't get to tell you… about how much… aw fuck!" Shaking his head, Ichigo leaned down and pressed his lips tightly to Grimmjow's. The bluenette was stilled by surprise but it didn't last long before he began to eagerly respond to the kiss. Pulling back for air, Ichigo looked deep into Grimmjow's cyan eyes.

"I fucking love you, alright!" He said defensively. Grimmjow smiled at Ichigo's words and struggled to sit up. Throwing an arm around Ichigo's neck, he chastely pressed his lips to Ichigo's and held them there for a brief second before speaking against Ichigo's lips.

"I know."

**...**

**...**

**Awwwww yeah! *Is dead now*  
**

**I won't lie to you guys; I almost cried when Ichigo thought Grimmjow had died. Writing that really taxed me and I had to write some sweet, lovey-dovey fluff to give some relief.**

**Please let me know what you thought in a review or a PM! Thank you all soooooo much for being fantastic readers, you all rock! ^_^**

**~Aurelia**


	13. Epilogue

**Gah! SO sorry that it took me this long to only write this tiny ass thing, but I found that my original idea once written out was HORRIBLE! That and I've been awfully busy helping a couple friends get a place of their own.**

**The last chapter. I feel so sad to be ending this story and I want very much for it to continue on, but alas it is that time. I wanted to give another huge heartfelt thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, and reviewed! I'm current'y at 98 reviews on this and that is the most reviews any of my fictions have ever received. So...**

**THANK YOU EVERYONE!  ^_^  
**

**Now on to the conclusion of this little tale.**

**…**

**…**

_**One Year Later…**_

Warm, bright sunshine filtered through the open window as a distant salty breeze rolled through carrying the sounds of seabirds into the small, cheery house that sat on a hill overlooking the ocean. Inside, a young man with fiery, ginger-orange hair hummed happily to himself as he went about making a simple stir fry for dinner. It was his first day off in a while and he knew that there was a certain someone who would be ecstatic over a little home cooking.

Ichigo gave a light chuckle as his thoughts drifted to Grimmjow; the bluenette had no culinary skills whatsoever and often when Ichigo wasn't home he stuck to microwavable foods so the cooking was left up to Ichigo.

When the rumbling of an engine caught his ears, Ichigo's face split into a grin and he turned the burner off under the frying pan and made his way to the front room of the little house. Looking out the front window, Ichigo saw a big, beat up truck lumbering up the gravel drive. The sound of rock and roll drifted into the house from the pickup truck as Grimmjow sat behind the wheel quite happily rocking out to Back in Black. Singing loud enough to be heard over the music, Ichigo continued to watch from where he remained hidden as Grimmjow began beat his hands on the steering wheel and bop his head back and forth as he parked the vehicle.

Unable to suppress his laughter, Ichigo doubled over at the sight, only to be noticed in the front room window by the unsuspecting rockstar. Shutting off the truck and killing the music Grimmjow, languidly slid out of the truck and made his way up the drive. Ichigo stopped laughing as the sight caught him.

Grimmjow was back lit by the evening sun and it lit up his bright blue locks. Hungrily drinking in the sight of the tight blue jeans that hid long, lean legs and the black shirt that clung to every muscle, Ichigo felt a small blush spread across his cheeks as a grin spread across his face.

Taking all three steps onto the porch at once, Grimmjow ducked inside the small house and tossed his keys onto a small table beside the front door.

"Miss me, ginger?" He said huskily as he swooped in and grabbed Ichigo tight. Before the younger man could respond, Grimmjow pressed his lips to Ichigo's in a voracious kiss that started the slow, hungry burn inside the orangette.

"Not too badly." Ichigo said with a little smirk as he broke the kiss for air. Reaching his arms up he let them settle on Grimmjow's shoulder to allow his hands to tangle in the sexy, soft, blue locks. A purr emitted from Grimmjow as he preened under Ichigo's attention before delving back into another deep kiss.

Strong hands wandered down Ichigo's lithe back to rest on his firm rear, squeezing the rounded flesh and pressing him closer to the tanned and slightly sweaty man in front of him. A slight moan escaped Ichigo's throat and mingled into their kiss as he surrendered willingly to the escalating embrace. Ichigo grew excited when he could feel Grimmjow's hard member pressing up against his own from beneath their jeans. The kiss dragged on for another minute before Ichigo finally broke away.

"What about dinner?" He asked a little breathlessly as Grimmjow smirked.

The bluenette threw a glance at the kitchen and the pan on the stove before turning his attention back to the ginger in his grasp. Enfolding Ichigo into another tight embrace, Grimmjow nipped and licked at the tender spot beneath Ichigo's ear on his neck.

"It'll be there later." He growled softly into the flesh of Ichigo's neck.

All further thought was rendered useless as Ichigo melted into Grimmjow's arms. Hands grasping and tongues dancing wildly, they stumbled towards the bedroom but made it no further than the living room floor.

Madly tearing at clothes, Grimmjow broke speed records as he stripped Ichigo's clothes off and then helped the orangette remove his own. Sliding his hands across every inch of the well muscled body before him, Ichigo let out a soft cry when teeth met the sensitive area on his neck yet again.

Pushed down to lay on his back in the middle of the floor, Ichigo hooked his arms around Grimmjow's neck and captured the bluenette's lips for a wet kiss. Hot breaths mingled with luscious moans and needy mewling whimpers. Barely taking any prep time, Grimmjow took his hard member in hand and thrust into his lover with a breathy moan as a salacious cry of pain followed by maledictions of pleasure tumbled from Ichigo's kiss-pinkened lips.

"Mmm-ahhhhh! F-fffuck!"

Wrapping his legs in a vice grip around Grimmjow's hips, Ichigo ground his hips and rose to meet Grimmjow's powerful thrusts. Every inch of him felt like it was afire as Grimmjow hit that magical spot inside him. Crying out another curse of pure pleasure, Ichigo arched his back, lifting his hips and causing Grimmjow to sheath his steel hard member inside of his even deeper. It didn't last long, but neither was able to deny that it had been exquisite.

Lying on the front room rug, the two watched the sun sink behind the oceanic horizon in the comfort of their nudity as they held each other close. Ichigo sighed happily as he let his mind drift back to the circumstances that let them be like this today. It had been an incredibly rough ride, but here they were, enjoying a normal life; well as normal could be for them.

_"Ya always said normal was fuckin' borin', King." _Shiro teased lightly. Ichigo let a small smirk cross his lips as he closed his eyes.

Despite the Strigoi being a talkative thing before Grimmjow had ripped his heart out, they still had no clue what Shiro really was and the Strigoi had said that he hadn't known either. Even Pantera, who was also a centuries old being didn't know. They had guesses and speculations but nothing more succinct than that. It was obvious the pale twin wasn't a demon, nor was he a spirit or an iadului. Ichigo couldn't lie; he was curious to know what exactly Shiro was, but he resigned himself on the fact that it might be a mystery they would never solve. Even the pale specter himself didn't know; hell… a ghost, Ulquiorra, hadn't known either.

_Ulquiorra…_

They owed their lives to that ghost. If he hadn't helped him like he had, they would be here now. Grimmjow wouldn't be here. After Ulquiorra had revived Grimmjow by giving him the last of his spiritual energy, the ghost vanished. Ichigo assumed he had moved on, as cliché as that sounded.

Once Grimmjow had been revived, the two had taken off out the window and into the woods. No one followed them as they later learned from newspapers that they hadn't been found missing until the next day after all the ruckus the riot Grimmjow started had caused.

They managed to steal some civilian clothes and blend in while they made their way up north and found a small town on the coast to live in. They both got jobs on the docks; Grimmjow doing heavy manual labor while Ichigo helped the shipping company with their books. It all turned out rather well. They managed to rough it for several months before they were able to land a house by a pure stroke of luck. Their boss had known the placed had been abandoned but was still in decent shape.

Their house was small, but it was theirs. They had their freedom again and life was good. They owed it all to Ulquiorra.

"We going to get dressed and pay a visit. I have flowers in the truck." Grimmjow's voice broke Ichigo's reverie. It was as if the bluenette knew Ichigo's thoughts had drifted to the pale, emerald eyed ghost.

"Yeah. I think we should." Ichigo said with a smile. With dinner forgotten, the two men hastily threw their clothes back on. Grabbing his keys, Grimmjow led the way out to the truck. Climbing into the passenger side, Ichigo saw in the center seat was a bouquet of simple white lilies. While he may not have been a touchy feely kind of guy, Grimmjow was rather considerate.

Pulling out of their drive they took a less traveled road that led to the cliffs. When they first got out of the loony bin, they had been entirely focused on finding a place to live and blending into society, but after they had got the house, Ichigo insisted that a memorial be made for the forgotten ghost who had saved their lives. Today was the one year anniversary that Ulquiorra saved Grimmjow's life and helped them flee the hell known as Cliff Point Sanitarium.

Headlights lit up the winding dirt road that climbed up the steep grade. When they finally reached the top, Ichigo grabbed the bouquet and hopped out of the truck while Grimmjow rustled around in the glove box for something. Ichigo peered in the passenger door of the truck and smiled when he saw Grimmjow produce incense and a lighter.

Slamming the doors closed, the two casually linked hands and meandered across the flat grassy area atop the cliff that dropped right into the sea. There, several feet from the edge of the cliff was a simple stone memorial with a single word; Ulquiorra.

Placing the flowers beside the memorial, Ichigo sat cross legged, listening to the sounds of the ocean and enjoying the salty breeze as Grimmjow cursed softly while he struggled to light the incense. When the incense was lit and the stone cleared off, the two sat and just listened to the sounds of the sea. Grimmjow threw a strong arm around Ichigo's shoulders while the orangette slipped his arm around Grimmjow's waist.

Sitting side by side, Ichigo rested his head on Grimmjow's shoulder and simply enjoyed life. He could live like this forever.

_"Ya know nuthin's ev'r tha' simple, King. One day somethin'll come outta tha' blue and ya might find ya need me again. Fer now, jus' enjoy yer peace; ya certainly fought 'ard enough fer it."_

**...**

**...**

**Yessss... I just did that. The requester asked if I would leave it open for a *dramatic pause* SEQUEL! So there is that. I know I left it unexplained as to what the hell Shiro is and in a month or so (maybe less) I will begin the sequel. Until then, I'll be pretty wrapped up in It's a Dead World which in case some of you missed it, is another Grimm-Ichi with zombies in it. :D **

**You guys are awesome and I'm on the verge of saying silly, mushy gushy things about how I love you all! xD Thank you again for all the support and I look forward to writing more fictions for you all to enjoy!**

**~Aurelia**


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